KEY POINTS

  • Chinese Customs Office caught another citizen trying to smuggle tech products
  • This is not the first time that a person tries to smuggle tech products into China
  • In March another individual was caught with 160 Intel CPUs and smartphones hidden in his body

China is currently attracting international attention because of its strict anti-covid measures, but a Chinese woman seemingly stole the spotlight when it was busted by authorities hiding in her fake prosthetic belly several Intel Alder Lake CPUs and iPhone 14 smartphones.

A Chinese woman from Zhuhai, Guangdong, only known by the name Zhao, was busted by customs officials at Gongbei Port in Zhuhai. She came from Macau and entered the country pregnant through Gongbei Port in Zhuhai.

Authorities noticed that there was something off about the women who claimed to be between 5 and 6 months pregnant. She was called for further inspection, which surprised authorities because she is not only faking her pregnancy but was also trying to smuggle the hottest tech products.

The woman used prosthetics to look like she is pregnant but inside the fake belly are 202 12th generation Intel Alder Lake CPUs and 9 Apple iPhones, reportedly the latest models. Unfortunately, the report did not reveal the specifications of the smuggled items.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time that someone attempted to smuggle tech products to and from the country. In March, Chinese Customs officials arrested an individual who they referred to as the "Walking CPU" or the "CPU Man."

At the time, the individual tried to struggle with 160 Intel CPUs and like Zhao, also used his body to conceal the items. Authorities revealed that the "CPU Man" hid 11th-generation and 12th-generation processors, which were highly in demand at the time.

He also tried to smuggle 16 smartphones aside from the CPUs, which are mostly Intel Core i5-12600KF, which were selling between $330 to over $50,000 per unit at around that time.

"At about 1 a.m. that day, a man named Zeng entered the country through the customs "no declaration channel" at the travel inspection site of Gongbei Port. Customs officers found that his walking posture was abnormal and stopped him for inspection. After further inspection, customs officers seized a total of 160 CPUs and a total of 16 folded mobile phones tied with tape on the inner side of his calf, waist and abdomen," the Chinese Customs Office said.

Headquarters of China Development Bank in Beijing
Reuters