In a report published by the Israel Tax Authority (ITA), data shows that in 2014, 9,000 incoming airport passengers failed to declare NIS10 million in diamonds, jewelry, gold, cigarettes, cellphones, unreported cash, and designer drugs.
The report noted that items seized ny customs officers included 380,000 packs of cigarettes, 2,000 cellphones, and 180 kilos of designer drugs seized from mail packages and couriers. Jewelry worth NIS1 million and gold worth NIS1.5 million was seized as well, in addition to three gold ingots carried by a tourist from Germany who disguised them as a souvenir from a historical site in Berlin.
The report also noted that items not subject to customs duties, but which must be reported, were also seized, including NIS7 million in diamonds which were either unreported or not declared with the required accompanying documents, and NIS 6.3 million in unreported Israeli or foreign currency (reporting is required for bringing NIS 100,000 or more).
