March 10, 2015:
Israel suspects Iran played a role in a smuggling scam recently uncovered in Israel. This involved the arrest of three Israeli Jews who were paid $375,000 by a Palestinian smuggling gang to illegally get $30 million worth of prohibited items (structural steel, some electronics and other goods) into Gaza by having them hidden in shipments of legitimate goods. The three Israelis owned companies that supplied legal items to Gaza. Six Palestinians from Gaza are also sought but they are unlikely to leave Gaza for anywhere Israel could arrest them.
The Iran connection is the presence of Al Quds Force operatives in Gaza. Al Quds is an intelligence and commando operation that supports Islamic terrorism overseas and Hamas has hosted Quds experts for years. There are many different departments in Quds including several that specialize in various aspects of illegal procurement. That includes smuggling weapons into places where that sort of thing is very difficult.
One of these Quds smuggling operations, Unit 190 is known to regularly use the “hide the weapons inside shipments of legitimate goods” technique. Other Quds specialist can create bogus purchase and shipping documents to get weapons past border guards and customs officials. Another group of Quds procurement specialists is expert in finding who to bribe to get illegal shipments delivered. This group also provides the cash for the bribes and makes sure the money gets to the right people and does not disappear along the way. All of these Quds techniques and specialists have been encountered (or at least detected) Iranian smuggling operations (of weapons and other illegal goods) are busted. Israel has caught Quds smuggling into Gaza numerous times.
The U.S. has had the same experience when busting Iranian smuggling operations all other the world. U.S. military and sanctions enforcement personnel regularly share information with Israel and other nations endangered by these Quds activities. As a result many details of Quds personnel and methods have become known.