Breaking Update
Airport Employee Caught Smuggling Cigarettes
Airport employee apprehended smuggling 26 cartons of cigarettes at Ben Gurion Airport, a serious incident involving abuse of trust by a food service provider.
Jerusalem, 7 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Investigators from the Narcotics Unit at Ben Gurion Airport Customs, the Ben Gurion Airport Special Investigation Unit 747, and the Crime Prevention Unit at the Airports Authority succeeded in thwarting an attempted smuggling of 26 cartons – 52 packs – of cigarettes by an airport employee.
On Tuesday, customs investigators observed an employee of a company that provides food services to airplanes removing a suspicious bag from a plane. The suspect was followed until he left the restricted area and, while he was putting the suspicious bag into his private vehicle, he was apprehended by police.
Authorities noted that this is a “serious incident” in which a person in a position of trust abuses the authorization given to him by virtue of his position.
