Norwegian Embassy Driver Caught Smuggling Israeli Antiquities

A Palestinian driver working for Norway’s Embassy in Israel was caught trying to smuggle 10 kilograms of antiquities from Israel into Jordan last week.

Israel Tax Authority agents stymied an apparent attempt to smuggle 10 kilograms of antiquities into Jordan at the Allenby Bridge Crossing last Tuesday.

The antiquities, consisting of statues and coins, were hidden in a Mercedes vehicle belonging to the Norwegian embassy in Israel, the Tax Authority announced on Monday. Customs investigators searched the vehicle and found the antiquities stored in packaged cartons that were hidden in the vehicle’s side compartments.

The driver of the Norwegian embassy’s vehicle, Issa Nagam, from the northern Jerusalem Arab neighborhood of Beit Hanina was arrested on suspicion of attempting to smuggle the antiquities out of the country. Nagam was taken for further questioning to the Customs Investigations Unit in Jerusalem.

The suspect was later released on bail by the Jerusalem Magistrates Court.

Earlier this year, customs authorities stopped an attempt to smuggle goods worth approximately 2.6 million USD (NIS 10 million) out of the country in a European Union vehicle that was transporting a political consultant from the EU delegation to the Middle East. The vehicle, driven by a resident of the Palestinian town of Atarot north of Jerusalem, was found to contain approximately 700 smartphones, tens of kilograms of jewelry made of pure gold and a number of steroid packages.

By: Jonathan Benedek, TPS