Massive Cigarette Smuggling Ring Busted at Ashdod Port
Translated & summarized from Globes by baba
Israeli police and customs officials arrested additional suspects in a major cigarette smuggling case at the Port of Ashdod. The foiled operation involved eight containers of cigarettes worth approximately 200 million shekels, falsely declared as wheat flour. The investigation is ongoing, with further arrests expected.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Israeli authorities arrested more suspects in a 200 million shekel cigarette smuggling case.
- The smuggling attempt involved eight containers at the Port of Ashdod.
- The cigarettes were falsely declared as wheat flour imported from Egypt.
- Two suspects were initially arrested last week, with more arrests made Wednesday.
- The investigation is a joint effort between the police and customs authorities.
Israeli authorities have made further arrests in connection with a major cigarette smuggling operation that was thwarted last week at the Port of Ashdod. Investigators from the Coastal District, the Narcotics Unit, and the Ashdod Customs unit apprehended several suspects on Wednesday involved in the attempted smuggling of cigarettes. This operation represents one of the largest tobacco smuggling attempts ever foiled in Israel, involving eight containers filled with thousands of cartons of cigarettes valued at approximately 200 million shekels, intended to evade taxes.
The import declaration for the containers falsely stated they contained wheat flour imported from Egypt. The initial thwarting of the smuggling last week led to the arrest of two suspects. A joint investigation by the police's Coastal District and Ashdod Customs, part of the Tax Authority, has been ongoing, resulting in additional arrests on Wednesday. Authorities anticipate further arrests as the investigation continues.
In a joint statement, the Israel Police and the Tax Authority declared their continued commitment to collaborating and acting decisively against smuggling networks and economic criminals, aiming to disrupt their financial infrastructure and prosecute those involved.
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