E Cigarette Liquid Smuggling Operation Thwarted

Jerusalem, 13 July, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Ben Gurion Airport Customs officials arrested two suspects for importing e-cigarette liquid disguised as makeup remover while evading tax payments of 1.2 million Shekels ($360,000).

An investigation conducted by the Narcotics and Customs Unit (NACU) at Ben Gurion Airport Customs indicates that since the beginning of 2025, the suspects have imported a commercial quantity of liquid for filling electronic cigarettes under the guise of a bottle disguised as makeup remover for personal import. The packages were addressed to different addresses of different people, in order to deceive the tax authorities and evade tax payment and various import legality requirements, such as labeling smoking products and testing the amount of nicotine in the liquid.

Last week, one of the suspects was arrested while collecting 14 such shipments from a locker at a gas station in Ashdod. The two were later brought in for questioning. The investigation revealed that there was reasonable suspicion that 68 such shipments were imported.