Customs inspectors at Ashdod port open oil containers to find millions in contraband
An import company attempted to ship 12 containers from Egypt to Israel, declared as sunflower and soybean oil. However, a random inspection by customs officials at Ashdod port revealed that the containers were actually filled with large quantities of smuggled cigarettes.
Can oil turn into cigarettes? In the criminal world, everything is possible. A young import company attempted to ship 12 containers from Egypt to Israel, declared as sunflower oil mixed with soybean oil. Customs inspectors at the Ashdod port insisted on performing a random check of the actual cargo, which arrived in batches of four. Their suspicion, based on the weight data of the containers, proved correct: in each batch, one container was filled with huge quantities of smuggled cigarettes.
The illegal import could have brought the importer a profit of tens of millions of shekels, while also allowing him to "save" 30 million shekels in tax payments.
The import company, D.D. Davash, is owned by Shimon Davash and was registered earlier this year. The businessman, whose main activity is trading in used cars, had been dealing with food imports. He was arrested following an investigation by the Customs Department. During police interrogation, Davash acknowledged his role in the arrival of the containers but denied involvement in the cigarette smuggling. He faces charges of smuggling, providing false information in import documents, misleading customs officials, and obstruction of justice.
Investigators state that this was a systematic operation. The arrest request filed against him notes that the importer used sophisticated methods to conceal the smuggled goods. A resident of Kibbutz Matzuva in the Western Galilee was also arrested, suspected of providing misleading import data during declaration. The man denies being a partner in the smuggling, claiming he only provided services as a customs broker.
Judge Moshe Holtzman of the Ashkelon Magistrate's Court ordered the release of the second suspect to house arrest, while Davash's detention was extended by five days.
"I am convinced that there is a reasonable suspicion, as far as possible at this stage, that the respondent committed the offenses attributed to him," the judge wrote. "The respondent has no criminal record, however, proper weight must also be given to the danger posed by the man, if there is substance to the suspicions raised against him within the framework of the investigation."
