Smuggler Caught With 94 iPhones Strapped To His Body

A smuggler from Hong Kong has been caught trying to sneak 94 iPhones into China strapped onto his body.

Customs officials in the southern city of Shenzhen noticed the man’s ‘gait was weird, with still joints and tense muscles, as if he was carrying a heavy load’.

A check of the two plastic shopping bags he was carrying revealed nothing suspicious.

However, when he was passing through a metal detector the alarm went off.

Photos released by customs authorities show dozens of neatly shrink-wrapped iPhone 5, 5S, 6 and 6 Plus models with a total value of over 300,000 yuan (£32,000).

The man, whose record revealed he was what officials called a ‘typical smuggler’ after a number of brushes with customs, was held for further questioning.

Apple’s iPhones are immensely popular in mainland China.

Last year, it took just six hours for customers of the country’s three mobile carriers to reserve one million units of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus ahead of their official launch.

But while they are made there, high taxes make the device more expensive than in Hong Kong and the West.

A 16GB iPhone 6 sells for £571 in Beijing but, in Hong Kong, it sells for £477.

Shenzhen customs officials disclosed that they have caught 18 mules strapping smuggled electronic products, including 282 iPhones, on their bodies since December.

The maximum penalty in Hong Kong for exporting items without properly declaring them is a £1.3m fine and seven years in prison.

Culled from Metro  uk

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