On July 31, a man arrived at Qingdao Port in China and tried to pass through customs without declaring the iPhones he was carrying. The venture, while daring, lacked a certain level of ingenuity. The man’s appearance and attire raised suspicions among authorities. Clad in a navy blue shirt, his physical proportions seemed curiously askew.
This prompted authorities to subject him to a closer examination. The inspection revealed that he was carrying a total of 68 old iPhones meticulously affixed to various parts of his body—his waist, lower legs, and abdomen. The iPhones, far from being the latest models, were meticulously swathed and secured around his frame using adhesive tape.
Subsequently, the man was promptly apprehended, facing charges of smuggling. The motivation behind his elaborate smuggling attempt remains shrouded in mystery. While his intentions are unclear, it’s plausible that he had plans for selling the iPhones on the grey market. There is a huge demand for old iPhones on the grey market as people are often on the lookout for getting their hands on devices on the cheap.
Smuggling of Apple products isn’t a new thing as there have been many reports about them. There have been reports about fake AirPods being smuggled into various countries as well. In 2017, a woman was arrested for smuggling 102 iPhones and 15 high-end watches into the country by hiding them in her clothes. And in 2015, a man was caught trying to smuggle 94 iPhones into China by taping them to his body at the Hong Kong border. Many cases do end up coming out of China. In China and most other countries, it is illegal to import goods without paying the appropriate taxes.