Ramallah _ 29/1/2023 A press release issued by the Public Relations and Media Department of the Customs Police Service stated that the Customs Police Service, in implementation of the instructions of the political level and under the directives of the Minister of Interior and the supervision of the device commander, Major General Iyad Barakat, dealt with 4,992 cases during the past year 2022. In cooperation with the civil partner agencies and the competent security agencies, during which approximately 987 tons of expired goods were seized and unfit for human consumption, and other issues that were dealt with aimed at protecting the national economy and collecting revenues to supplement the treasury with funds to raise the economy and protect the health and safety of citizens, and these cases were distributed between Financial, economic, health, agricultural, technological and environmental.
And in the details:
In cooperation with the Ministry of Finance:
In order to improve revenue collection to supplement the state treasury and control tax evasion and customs evasion, and to protect the state’s assets, the agency dealt with 3,109 cases, detailed as follows:
- 1991 cases in the file of tax evasion, customs evasion and the transfer of taxpayers to complete their commercial transactions.
- 984 cases of goods coming from Israel without a clearing invoice.
- 133 cases in the file of smuggled tobacco, which is prohibited from circulation.
In the oil file, 400 liters of smuggled fuel were seized, which poses a threat to citizens' vehicles and harms the state treasury and the environment.
In cooperation with the Ministry of National Economy:
In order to protect the markets from the spread of spoiled, expired and counterfeit goods and settlement goods, the agency dealt with 976 cases, detailed as follows:
- During which 600 tons of expired, unfit for consumption and counterfeit goods were destroyed.
_ Seizing 307 tons of goods without a statement card in Arabic (foodstuffs and cosmetics).
_ The seizure of 16.5 tons of settlement goods (which are goods formed from building materials and electrical appliances) that are prohibited from circulation.
_ Seizing goods prohibited from circulation (3773 pieces of fireworks prohibited from circulation), due to their danger to the lives of citizens.
In cooperation with the Ministry of Health:
In order to provide health security and protect the health of citizens from unfit for consumption and spoiled goods, the agency dealt with 525 cases, the most prominent of which are as follows:
- 59 tons of food and cosmetics, expired and unusable, were seized and destroyed according to the rules.
Approximately 4 and a half tons and nearly 12,000 packages of medicines, cosmetics, nutritional supplements and sexual stimulants that do not conform to specifications and standards and do not have the necessary licenses have been seized.
In cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture:
In order to support the agricultural sector and livestock breeders and enhance the steadfastness of farms on their land, the agency dealt with 256 cases that did not hold the necessary agricultural and health permits and others that were not fit for human consumption or were restricted by a decision from the Ministry, detailed as follows:
- 110 cases of animal products seized.
- 146 cases of agricultural products were seized.
In cooperation with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology:
In order to protect the markets from the proliferation of chips, recharge cards, and Israeli internet devices that are prohibited from trading and operating within the territory of the Palestinian state, the agency dealt with 102 seizure cases, during which:
10,407 Israeli SIM cards, 287 wireless devices, routers, and cellular communication devices are Israeli, all of which violate the law and have been seized and transferred to the Ministry of Communications.
- Seizing 3,545 postal parcels and communications devices that do not have the necessary licenses from the Ministry of Communications.
In cooperation with the Environment Quality Authority:
In order to protect the Palestinian environment from hazardous waste, whether solid or liquid, that is smuggled from Israel; With the aim of burying them or dumping them in the lands of the Palestinian state, the agency dealt with 24 cases during which it seized:
- 119 tons of construction waste, ordinary waste, and solid waste, 66 tons of used car oils, approximately 17 tons of plastic waste and cardboard, and 265 used car batteries, which are goods coming from Israel that are prohibited from trading in the territory of the Palestinian state and have been returned to their source according to the Basel Convention.
_ On the awareness side; With the aim of delivering the agency’s message and spreading awareness of the nature of its work and its tasks, in this context, during the year 2022, it presented (800) lectures, benefiting (35,000) people of both sexes, including students of universities, colleges, schools, summer camps, and civil society and governmental institutions.
_ The agency stresses the importance of citizen participation by reporting spoiled and expired goods and settlement goods via the toll-free number 132 or via the agency’s official page on the social networking site (Facebook); This is in order to reach a safe economy and achieve food health for all.