The vehicle which hid 750 e-cigarettes
The vehicle which hid 750 e-cigarettesCustoms Authority

Customs Inspection officers at the Yitzhak Rabin border crossing between Israel and Jordan, near the southern city of Eilat, foiled an attempt to smuggle 750 electronic cigarettes into Israel from Jordan.

Upon entering Israel, the traveler, who lives in the central city of Jaffa, was asked to bring his vehicle into customs for a thorough inspection. To the inspectors' shock, they discovered electronic cigarettes hidden professionally in the vehicle's walls, in a seeming attempt to avoid paying commercial customs duties.

The suspect was interrogated by the Eilat customs office's Drug Department. During the interrogation, he claimed to have no knowledge of the goods hidden in his vehicle.

Initial investigations showed that the suspect's family owns a business for selling tobacco products near his home. The vehicle and cigarettes were confiscated by customs until a decision is reached.

Oded Nezer, a customs and VAT officer in Eilat, said that Eilat customs workers have recently reinforced the inspections at the land border crossings, in order to prevent the smuggling of taxable goods and to prevent avoidance of Israel's import laws.