Smuggler taped-up with 68 iPhones didn't fool Chinese customs officials

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Posted:
in iPhone edited August 2023

A man attempted to smuggle 68 iPhones through a port in China by hiding them on his body, by taping all of the smartphones to parts of his body and hiding them under his clothes.




Discovered on July 31 by port authorities at Qingmao Port, China, the man had attempted to take the massive amount of iPhones through customs without declaring them, by slipping through the non-declaration channel.

However, eagle-eyed officials spotted some issues with the man and his apparel. While he was wearing a navy blue short-sleeve shirt, it seems the rest of the body was somewhat out of proportion.

The inspection uncovered 68 old iPhones that were wrapped and bundled with adhesive tape to the person's waist, abdomen, and lower legs, reports Cnbeta. In one photo, thin plastic wrap and packing tape are used to hold the iPhones in place on the inside and outside areas of the person's legs.

According to the story, the man has been dealt with according to import regulations.

While smuggling items by carrying them through customs isn't new or entirely uncommon, the excessive amount of goods being smuggled at a time and the method being used is unusual. Even so, this is far from the first time someone has attempted to shift so many iPhones by taping them to a person's body.

In 2017, a woman was arrested for smuggling 42 pounds of contraband within her clothes, including 102 iPhones and 15 high-end watches. Meanwhile in 2015, a man was arrested at the Hong Kong border trying to smuggle 94 iPhones into mainland China that were similarly attached to his body by tape and wrappings.

In each of the cases, border guards were alerted to the unusual walking posture of the phone mules.

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    40domi40domi Posts: 138member
    🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
    watto_cobra
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 2 of 8
    Xedxed Posts: 3,026member
    I can't imagine how uncomfortable that would be.
    watto_cobra
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 3 of 8
    badmonkbadmonk Posts: 1,347member
    Hard to imagine someone doing this with old androids.
    retrogustowatto_cobraravnorodomStrangeDaysiGlowEarth
     5Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 4 of 8
    fred1fred1 Posts: 1,152member
    Shoulda stuck to the tried and tested method of putting them in balloons up his . . .
    watto_cobra
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 5 of 8
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,707member
    Xed said:
    I can't imagine how uncomfortable that would be.
    If you think THAT’s uncomfortable, picture how the border officials likely pulled off that tape once they caught him … :lol: It would be like a whole-body waxing! :open_mouth: 
    edited August 2023
    fred1
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 6 of 8
    ronnronn Posts: 704member
    Are people that stupid? By now this old tactic should have been retired. They simply need to bribe the right people.
    ravnorodom
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 7 of 8
    mattinozmattinoz Posts: 2,574member
    I guess they ended up looking like an 8-bit pixel person. 
    ravnorodom
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 8 of 8
    Xedxed Posts: 3,026member
    ronn said:
    Are people that stupid? By now this old tactic should have been retired. They simply need to bribe the right people.
    I'd wager that hundreds or even thousands of people get through customers before a single person gets caught. It's probably a numbers game to the people running this.
    FileMakerFeller
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
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