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Cops Nab Smuggler with 8.5 Tons of Beef

(IsraelNN.com) Police working on a tip managed to foil a major smuggling attempt on Wednesday night. The officers stopped a truck with 8.5 tons of beef and 1.5 tons of sheep fat as it attempted to enter Israeli territory.

The police sting took place near the Dead Sea. The truck that was smuggling the meat had left the Hevron area and was headed to Be'er Sheva.

The meat shipment appeared to be intended for the Palestinian Authority. However, after the meat was safely delivered to Israel and from there to the PA, Israeli officials received word that the cargo was to be smuggled back into Israel for sale in Israeli stores.

The meat was not under Israeli supervision from the time it entered PA-controlled areas, and Israeli officials could not guarantee that it had been stored properly. Goods smuggled in from PA-controlled areas have often been found to be below Israeli safety standards.

The truck driver admitted to his role in the scheme, and was arrested. Due to the fears of contamination, the meat was destroyed.

Following the incident, the Ministry of Agriculture issued a statement reminding the public not to purchase meat or other animal products imported from PA-controlled areas. For health and safety reasons, meat should be purchased only from licensed, supervised stores, the warning continued. All packaged meat products should be in their original packaging, which should be closed and clean with a sticker stamped with the production and expiration dates.


Posted by: Fred 2009-02-20
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=262979