Israel: Illegal E-cigarette operation raided

Tel Aviv [Israel], August 18 (ANI/TPS): As part of an initiative by the Transit Customs Unit, employees of the Transit Customs House raided a shop selling smoking products in Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut and seized a large number of E-cigarettes that were allegedly produced in Israel without permits from the Ministry of Health along with the liquid for refilling them.
A total of 12 litres of liquid was seized, the tax on which alone amounts to approximately 110,000 Shekels (USD 30,000). The goods are suspected of being illegal both due to the low price at which they were sold and due to the fact that the concentration of the active substance in it (nicotine) is higher than allowed according to the regulations of the Ministry of Health. As part of that raid, 79 kg of hookah tobacco of unknown origin was also seized. The goods were confiscated and the owner of the store was questioned.
The phenomenon of smuggling electronic cigarettes is widespread since it was decided to compare the tax rate imposed on those cigarettes to the tax imposed on other smoking products. The imposition of the tax on electronic cigarettes is a coordinated move between the Tax Authority and the Ministry of Health, which aims to reduce the consumption of electronic cigarettes that increase the risk of heart and respiratory diseases.
Currently, electronic cigarettes are subject to a purchase tax at a rate of 145 per cent of the common wholesale price.
This was the first case of identifying goods that were produced illegally in Israel. (ANI/TPS)