Syrian customs authorities on the Syrian-Jordanian border have foiled an attempt to smuggle Israeli goods through Syrian territory to Iraq, according to local press reports Tuesday and an official at the border in the southern Dar'a region.
The official said five Jordanian trucks loaded with beams for laying electric cables worth $60,000 were seized June 24, adding that the trucks were heading to the northern Iraqi city of Irbil via Syria. The beams have Hebrew writing on them and some had "made in Israel" printed in English, the official said, according to The AP.
The goods manifest indicated the beams were of Italian origin and were ordered by a Turkish company in Ankara to be sent later to Iraq, the official added.
He said the goods were confiscated and a $480,000 fine was imposed.
Al-Baath newspaper, meanwhile, quoted Hasan Hamdo, the head of the Naseib customs department on the Syrian-Jordanian border, as saying the drivers of the trucks, all Jordanians, had forged the manifest of the smuggled goods to be able to cross the borders. It said authorities were questioning the drivers, who said initially they planned to smuggle the Israeli goods via the Iraqi-Jordanian border crossing. However, they changed their plan due to the lack of security along the road from the border to Baghdad. (menareport.com)
© 2004 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
