Egypt jails Israeli tourist on drugs charge
"Surveillance of our borders is tight," security official
An Israeli on a short visit to a resort in Egypt's Aqaba Gulf will be staying quite a while longer after he was found guilty of smuggling 500 grams of hashish on Thursday.
51-year-old Israeli national Ben Yussef Isaac, a tennis trainer was convicted by an Egyptian court for five years and a fine of 10,000 pounds ($2000) after he was arrested at the Movenpick Resort Taba Hotel by hotel security personnel who discovered 500 grams of hashish in his bag.
"We routinely check foreign visitors and nationals who come here because incidents of smuggling are numerous," a security official, who did not disclose his name told AlArabiya.net.
Taba, Egypt's busiest border crossing with Israel, is a major transit route for migrants, asylum-seekers and drug smugglers. The conviction is the latest in drug smuggling trend that plagues Egyptian/Israeli border crossings.
"He told authorities the drug was for personal use, but the amount is too huge for personal use." Mukhtar Madi from the prosecutions department in Taba told AlArabiya.net. "It is definitely a case of drug trade." he added.
Penalties for possession, trafficking or use of illegal drugs in Egypt are severe, and convicted offenders get long jail sentences and heavy fines while those in the drug industry could end up with capital punishment.
Drug Smuggling across borders
Official at the Sinai Court in Egypt told AlArabiya.net that smuggling drugs across the 250-km (155 miles) Egyptian Israeli border is a constant problem.
Last February saw the sentencing of two Israelis in absentia for five years as well after they were caught with hashish as they drove from Israel to Sinai.
The Jewish state regularly accuses Egypt of not doing enough to stop the entry into Israel or the Gaza Strip of everything from arms and drugs to illegal immigrants.
In June, Israel handed over to Egyptian authorities six Bedouins who were suspected of drug trafficking.
However Harun Hasan, head of Securities in southern Sinai says surveillance is tight on the border.
"Our efforts to keep border crossings clear from smuggling are evident. Security officials carry out routine investigations to ensure the safety and clearance of anything illegal," he told AlArabiya.net.
Egypt is the first Arab nation to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, after which the Israeli-occupied Sinai was handed back to Egypt after the 1973 war. The peninsula remains a popular tourist destination for Israelis.
Our efforts to keep border crossings clear from smuggling are evident. Security officials carry out routine investigations to ensure the safety and clearance of anything illegal.Harun Hasan, head of Securities in southern Sinai