Jerusalem, 10 June, 2026 (TPS-IL) — A man was arrested for exporting commercial quantities of gat (betel leaves), which are known for containing a psychoactive compound and are illegal in many countries, to the US under the guise of personal exports of henna. The exported gat is said to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The arrest warrant indicates that the suspect, Jaber Sisai, had been exporting hundreds of shipments of Israeli gat leaves to the US for a long period of time, through the Israel Post Company. The shipments were made under the guise of personal exports, while declaring that they were for inspection and declaring monetary values lower than the actual value of the goods. In addition, analysis of the evidence suggests that the suspect used fictitious sender details as well as a fictitious residential address and telephone number.
This week, the suspect was caught at the post office while carrying out the export operation and was brought for questioning at the offices of the Central Customs’ Customs Enforcement Unit. Later, the suspect was brought before a judge at the Rishon LeZion Magistrate’s Court, who decided to release him under restrictive conditions.
the investigation is ongoing.