Israelis Smuggle Viagra and Cell Phones: Report

By Haaretz March 15, 2012

Israelis’ favorite goods to smuggle last year were cell phones, Viagra and fake brand-name clothes, said the customs authorities at Ben-Gurion International Airport in their annual report. Customs caught people smuggling undeclared goods 10,082 times last year – up from 9,850 in 2010. Taxes on these goods totaled NIS 80 million.

The most popular cell phones were the iPhone 4S and the Samsung Galaxy SII. Of the thousands of phones confiscated, most were caught in packages, not actually on travelers. However, agents recalled one woman in her 60s caught hiding 44 iPhones in her stockings. Another person, a 22-year-old customer-retention team leader at cell phone company Pelephone, was caught with eight iPhones taped to his body.

Customs inaugurated its body scanner in 2010. Last year, the machine caught people trying to smuggle counterfeit medications, gold jewelry, diamonds, drugs and cash, said Rafi Gabay, head of customs at the airport.

And then there were the more unusual catches. A man flying in from Brussels was caught with eight red siskins, a type of rare bird. The birds were in plastic containers on his body. Many attempts to smuggle goods through delivery services involved fake brand-name clothing and cell-phone accessories. Agents also found a kit for breaking into vehicles.

Last year also was a record one for ecstasy-smuggling attempts. Agents caught 140 shipments of the illegal drug, mostly via delivery but also on passengers. One particularly creative man flying in from Bangkok hid the pills inside picture frames displaying pictures of the Thai king.

For more, go to Haaretz.com

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO