An Oleh Chadash [new immigrant to Israel] was stopped this week by customs officials in the port of Haifa for allegedly trying to smuggle in dozens of illegal knives and alcohol bottles in a shipment he sent from the United States.
The 55-year-old American immigrant declared on customs forms that the container held personal belongings and furniture from his previous home in the U.S. However, when the Drugs Unit of Haifa’s Tax Authority examined the container they discovered dozens of additional undeclared items on the lift.
Among those undeclared items were 82 commando knives, such as machetes and retractable knives, both illegal to import into Israel. The lift also contained safes, light bulbs, two antique pianos, and 33 bottles of liquor, none of which had been declared on customs forms.
The man, a resident of the northern town Ma’alot Tarshiha, was called in for questioning by Haifa customs officials. He claimed that he ordered the shipping company to send his personal items and that they had delivered the knives by mistake which led to the false customs declaration.
The contraband knives were confiscated by the authorities and the rest of the container’s items that were undeclared will be sent for processing by the Tax Authority.