20 Million Cigarette Smuggling Operation at Ashdod Port Foiled
Ashdod Customs and police foiled a 20 million Shekel cigarette smuggling operation from Turkey, disguised as household items, with arrests made.
Jerusalem, 19 May, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Ashdod Customs and police foiled a huge Smuggling Operation of cigarettes worth approximately 20 million Shekels ($6.8 million)
An undercover investigation was conducted regarding the Smuggling of cigarette containers from Turkey, through the Ashdod Port, while falsely declaring the contents of the containers as household items.
Following suspicions of smuggling of goods that arose at Ashdod Customs upon the arrival of two containers at the Ashdod Port, a report was forwarded to the Lachish (name for Ashdod region) Customs Department. Upon receipt of the report, Ashdod Customs investigators and Lachish Customs Department detectives acted quickly, launching an undercover operation that included supervision, tracking, and control of the movement of the containers.
Later, trucks arrived that loaded the containers and began traveling toward the Judea and Samaria territories. Detectives from the Lachish Border Patrol Unit arrested the trucks and the drivers, residents of eastern Jerusalem, and transferred them, along with the containers, for inspection at Ashdod customs.
