Meat allegedly unfit for consumption seized in Monday, Tuesday raids
After a lengthy investigation, a smuggling network consisting of nine Israelis and Palestinians was caught; the meat was smuggled into Israel by forging expiration and slaughter dates and kosher certifications. On Tuesday, more meat was seized form the Jerusalem plant Black Angus.
After an investigation by the Israel Police, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Health, nine people were arrested early Monday morning on suspicion of smuggling meat from the Palestinian territories into Israel.
The meat was smuggled into Israel by forging expiration and slaughter dates and kosher certifications. The meat that was illegally smuggled to Israel was sold to leading and well-known restaurants throughout the country. A network of Israeli and Palestinian smugglers brought in the meat from the Palestinian territories to Israel with trucks with double edges as well as other forms of concealment.
Several members of the network were arrested and brought in for interrogation. During the nightly searches about 30 tons of meat, tens of thousands of shekels in cash as well as vehicles used by the smugglers were found. The affair is now in the investigative stage and additional arrests are expected, as well as investigations of dozens of clients.
The investigation revealed that a Palestinian importer bought meat in South America that was intended for the Palestinian Authority , imported it to Israel via Haifa's port. From Haifa the goods were stored in A-Ram just outside of Jerusalem, and from there it was smuggled in various methods into Israel through various checkpoints under substandard conditions that are contrary to Ministry of Health regulations, thus endangering the public's health.
The smuggled goods arrived to a storage area in Atarot, and it was repackaged with forgeries of kosher certifications, expiration dates and veterinary authorizations. It was then distributed to leading and renowned restaurants as well as various stores for the sale of meat.
"The involvement of restaurant owners will be investigated," Chief Inspector Shmuel Jerbi, who is heading the investigation. He added that "some of the suspects admitted their culpabliity and in the coming days more suspects will be interrogated."
On Tuesday, 12 tons of expired meat originating in the Palestinian territories were seized in a meat plant in Kfar Kanna. Police suspect that this meat is from the same plant - Black Angus.
The meat was seized during a raid by the Nazareth police and the Ministry of Agriculture's enforcement unit. Police officials say that the information regarding the spoiled meat came from the Ministry of Agriculture. During the raid on the factory, many cartons and bags of meat and fat were seized and transferred for destruction. At first, the police and the Ministry of Agriculture suspected that this was the meat of camels and donkeys, but it was later concluded the meat was of anther sort that is still unfit for sale or consumption.
It is suspected that the labels on the meat, including the veterinary certificates and expiration dates, were forged. The origin of the meat is from the Ramallah area. According to the investigators, the meat arrived shortly before the raid and has not yet been distributed. Police say that this is a relatively small plant, and the meat was distributed to businesses and individuals in its surrounding area only. The business owner was arrested and was interrogated by the Ministry of Agriculture's interrogation section.
The main plant to which the meat was brught, Black Angus, which is located in Jerusalem’s Atarot Industrial Zone. The Judea and Samaria Central Police Unit aided the factory, seizing over 20 tons of meat.
