Customs officials in Ben-Gurion International Airport apprehended an unemployed 66-year-old man trying to smuggle 24 high end Cuban cigars into Israel. The man flew from Cuba to Budapest, then to Tel Aviv.
The experts report the value of the cigars in the “tens of thousands of NIS”. They add the man receives unemployment from Bituach Leumi and appears to travel to Cuba every three months and receives assistance from someone regarding a visa.
In Cuba he buys the cigars which he gives to his friends as gifts. He was slapped with a 120,000 NIS fine which includes taxes and penalty fees.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Why can’t he bring in gifts for his friends?
sounds strange for a lousy 12 cigars that aren’t worth much more than 100 or 200 shekels each…
Maybe 24 boxes?
If the cigars are valued ‘in the tens of thousands of NIS’ he ain’t giving them away to his friends… not unless they are then ‘giving’ him a ‘gift’ of cash…