On Thursday, 25 Shevat, the vehicle of the European Union advisor on the Middle East was stopped for inspection at the Allenby Crossing between Israel and Jordan. The vehicle was found to be smuggling NIS 10 million worth of items including tens of kilograms of gold, jewelry and smartphones that were hidden in the vehicle.
Customs officials at the border crossing stopped the vehicle for a standard inspection and saw a number of different smartphones. Upon continuing to check the vehicle they found 700 phones and a significant quantity of gold and gold jewelry.
The driver and the diplomat were taken to a customs facility for questioning. The diplomat was released and the driver was held in custody and arraigned in the Jerusalem Magistrate Court, which extended his remand until Sunday 28 Shevat.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
Of course, the diplomat had immunity, even if he was the smuggler. The driver, poor shnook, will face jail time.
At the very least, this diplomat should be declared persona non grata and shipped back to his home country ASAP.
It SHOULD have been done the OTHER way around