By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Syrian customs agents have foiled an attempt to smuggle money in a diplomatic car to neighboring Lebanon, a government newspaper reported Sunday.
The Al-Thawra daily said the agents seized the money, estimated at around $294,000, during a routine car inspection at the Jdeidet Yabous crossing on the Syrian-Lebanese border.
The cash was found inside a Mercedes car with diplomatic license places belonging to one of the foreign embassies in Syria, it said, adding that the money was seized in the presence of a Syrian Foreign Ministry official and an official from the concerned embassy. The paper did not name the embassy or say when the money was seized.
Al-Thawra said a similar attempt to smuggle money into Lebanon was foiled a few days ago, this time through the Dabbousieh border crossing in north Lebanon. It said customs officials had seized a large quantity of money stashed in a hidden pocket in the trunk of a car.
No further details on either incident were immediately available.