Smuggling of 30,000 spoiled eggs from West Bank foiled near Jerusalem

According to the Agriculture Ministry, the eggs were unfit for consumption, and eating them could pose a real health risk for consumers.

30,000 unstamped and unrefrigerated eggs packaged in regular cardboard boxes as to not raise suspicion, October 18, 2020. (photo credit: AGRICULTURE MINISTRY)
30,000 unstamped and unrefrigerated eggs packaged in regular cardboard boxes as to not raise suspicion, October 18, 2020.
(photo credit: AGRICULTURE MINISTRY)
Agriculture Ministry inspectors foiled on Sunday an attempt to smuggle some 30,000 eggs unfit for consumption from the West Bank. 
The inspectors, part of the Agriculture Ministry's central unit for enforcement and investigations, worked together with the Jerusalem District Police in order to prevent thousands of spoiled eggs from reaching consumers and risking their health.
The operation took place in the dead of night, between Saturday and Sunday. 
During routine inspections carried out near the Qalandiya Checkpoint just outside of Jerusalem, according to the Agriculture Ministry, inspectors noticed a suspicious vehicle parked alongside the fence. 
When approaching the vehicle, the inspectors saw three individuals passing cardboard boxes over the fence. Some of them were on the Israeli side and others on the Palestinian side of the border.
The individuals escaped immediately after noticing the inspectors, while leaving the vehicle behind. In it, the inspectors were surprised to find some 30,000 unmarked and unrefrigerated eggs packaged in regular cardboard boxes as to not raise suspicion.
According to the Agriculture Ministry, the eggs were unfit for consumption, and eating them could pose a real health risk for consumers. 
The vehicle used for the attempted smuggle was confiscated by the Agriculture Ministry and all eggs were destroyed. 
Early on Sunday, an individual suspected of being involved in the smuggling attempt demanded that his car be returned. The suspect, a resident of Beitar Illit in his 30s, was taken in for questioning.
From his initial investigation, it seemed that the suspect intended to sell the smuggled eggs in his residential area - endangering the lives of local residents of Beitar Illit. 
Marketing unsupervised eggs is prohibited, as animal products have a relatively high potential for posing health risks - especially when not preserved in the right temperatures and according to the required transportation conditions, a press release by the Agriculture Ministry noted.
The press release added that people should always make sure to purchase eggs in recognized and regulated selling points and to make sure they are properly packaged and stamped.