Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Man Tries to Cross Chinese Border with 94 iPhones Taped to His Body

1/14/2015



BEIJING – A man tried to cross the border between Hong Kong and China with 94 iPhones of models 6 and 5S taped to his body with plastic and duct tape, the local daily South China Morning Post reported Tuesday.

The alleged “i-smuggler,” a Hong Kong citizen, was arrested by the police in Futian when the officers noticed that he was having difficulty walking.

On searching him, they found nearly 100 phones underneath his suit.

The iPhones, fastened with duct tape, were placed like armor plating as can be seen in the photos released by the border police.

Investigators have estimated the phones to be worth around $50,000. However, they have not yet figured out where the smuggler intended to resell them or if he wanted them for some other purpose.

Although Hong Kong has been a part of China since 1997, both have independent economies and trade, and their common border is a major smuggling point, especially for electronic goods.

Apple products, including iPhones and iPads, that tend to be cheaper in Hong Kong than in China are among the most common smuggled goods.

In the past, smugglers have been caught with these Apple products trying to evade border controls using other unorthodox schemes such as tunnels under the police checks or catapults that throw iPhones or iPads from one side of the border to the other.


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