The Jerusalem District Prosecutor has filed an indictment against seven men accused of smuggling meat from overseas and selling it in Israel without any health inspection. The indictment states that the accused sold 570 tons of smuggled meat over the past year.
According to the indictment, the accused imported meat from overseas into Palestinian Authority (PA), where they stored and processed it, and prepared it for marketing. The accused allegedly moved the meat from the PA into Israel, and sold it as having been legally slaughtered and processed in Israel under veterinary supervision. It is alleged that the meat also reached many prestigious restaurants throughout Israel.
The indictment states that the meat, the import of which into Israel was illegal, was smuggled through the filing of false applications stating that the meat was slated for distribution exclusively in the PA. After the meat was smuggled from Haifa Port into a Palestinian plant in A-Ram, those indicted are accused of smuggling the meat into Israel, while replacing its packaging and labels in order to disguise its origin.
It is further alleged that as part of this activity, the accused added to the meat packaging and deliveries false veterinary documentation and bills of lading ostensibly indicating that the meat had been processed in Israel and had passed veterinary inspection, although no veterinary doctor had checked it or the conditions under which it had been stored and processed.
According to the indictment, the accused sold the meat in Israel to Israeli customers by misrepresenting it as produced and legally inspected in Israel. The accused obtained over NIS 20 million in income from the sale of the meat.
The accused also allegedly used false registration of companies, mixed the smuggled meat with meat purchased legally in a deal portrayed as legitimate business, wrote invoices indicating that the meat had been purchased from Israeli suppliers, and falsified documentation.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on April 21, 2016
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