- Israel is third is the world in the smuggling of drugs
through its postal system, a Knesset committee dealing with the fight against
drugs revealed on Sunday.
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- The committee, headed by MK Ayoub Kara (Likud), visited
the customs facilities at Ben-Gurion International Airport on Sunday. The
tour was attended by MK Nissim Zeev (Shas), government representatives,
the anti-drug authority, the head of the customs authority's drug smuggling
division and a representative of the customs authority's administration.
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- The tour participants were explained the sophisticated
methods used to smuggle drugs into Israel and were presented with figures
on the scale of drug smuggling into Israel via overseas flights.
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- In 2003, 915,000 Ecstasy tablets, 32,000 doses of LSD,
14,500 kilograms of Indian hashish, 50,000 kilograms of cocaine and 2,000
kilograms of marijuana were smuggled into Israel via the air.
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- Eighty tons of cigarettes were also smuggled into the
country.
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- There are varied and extremely sophisticated methods
used to smuggle drugs into the country, the tour participants were told.
Some of these methods involve packing drugs into children's toys, artwork,
mail, books, cassettes, canned goods, shampoo bottles, incense, scented
candles, potted plants and cosmetics.
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- Kara said he will ask Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
to allot additional resources in the fight against drug smuggling in a
meeting scheduled for Monday.
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