A Beit Shemesh man has been remanded for several days after his attempt to smuggle diamonds was foiled on Friday by customs officials at Ben-Gurion International Airport.

The man returned to Israel from South Africa and tried to pass through the "nothing to declare" line. He was stopped for a routine check and asked to screen his luggage. The machine's findings aroused the suspicions of the customs officials.

The officers then began a thorough search of the man and his bags and discovered he was carrying 91 diamonds valued at some $300,000, $290,000 in cash; $20,000 worth of cash in various foreign currencies; and 24 high-end Rolex watches worth an estimated $200,000.

The suspect, who has admitted to the violations, was transferred to the Jerusalem Investigations Unit of the Israel Tax Authority Customs and VAT Department for further questioning.