E-Cigarette Smuggling Leads to Detentions in Israel

On August 31, five individuals involved in illegal activities were detained by Israeli authorities for attempting to smuggle thousands of e-cigarettes into Israel as a means to evade approval from the Ministry of Health and taxes.

According to our sources, the lawbreakers are disguising e-cigarettes as unrelated tax-exempt products, packaging them and subsequently shipping them to various distribution centers across Israel. Upon the arrival of these packages, courier personnel are dispatched to collect the goods.

Illegal individuals are exploiting various channels to sell these illicitly imported e-cigarette products, with one individual planning to distribute e-cigarettes through social media networks. Some individuals are also involved in selling e-cigarettes without proper approval and without paying taxes.

They employ various methods to conceal their whereabouts, including the use of phone numbers unrelated to their identity.

Recently, the Israeli tax authorities have been tracking these illegal smuggling patterns, while regulatory agencies have been closely monitoring the tax issues in this industry.

In Israel, e-cigarettes are subject to a 145% consumption tax, along with an additional fee of 4.64 Israeli New Shekels per milliliter.