Customs officials at Ben Gurion Airport have foiled an attempt to smuggle around 8.5 kilograms of gold into the country from Turkey.

Police detectives noticed a passenger behaving in a suspicious manner during baggage reclaim and ordered him to hand over his suitcase to be checked via X-ray. Customs officials then found gold jewelry valued at around 1.5 million shekels concealed in the man's belongings.

The suspect is a resident of the Galilee in his thirties and has been detained for questioning, along with another passenger who is believed to be the owner of the gold.