Smuggling PC hardware into China remains a bad idea, as evidenced by the recent case of a man who attempted to illegally import 84 Kingston NVMe SSDs from the Zhuhai-Macau Cross-Border Industrial Zone. Chinese Customs reported the incident, which occurred on March 3, on its WeChat page.
Qingmao Customs officers stopped the man, suspicious of his attempt to pass his electric scooter through the “ channel without declaration,” and, when the X-ray machine scanned the vehicle, they discovered the presence of an unknown object hidden in the bumper. Finally, inside the axial tube, the agents identified the SSDs, tied together.
The fate of the smuggler is unknown, but it is probable that he has been arrested and finds himself in a not very rosy situation. Indeed, the smuggling of undeclared goods is a serious crime, especially in China. At present, the models and capacities of the seized SSDs remain unknown, as the agents have not disclosed this information.
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Photo credit: Qingmao Customs
Photo credit: Qingmao Customs --> This episode is certainly not isolated: in March 2022, a man was stopped with 160 Intel CPUs attached to his body while trying to cross the border , while, in December of the same year, a woman was caught with 202 Intel CPUs and 9 iPhones hidden inside a fake belly.
The smuggling of PC hardware and electronic devices is a growing phenomenon, particularly in China, where the demand for such products is constantly increasing. However, the Chinese authorities are tightening controls and sanctions to combat this illegal practice, which can lead to high fines, confiscation of assets and, in the most serious cases, arrest and imprisonment.
Consumers also play a role crucial in preventing the phenomenon. Indeed, it is important that customers purchase products only from authorized resellers and pay attention to warning signs that may indicate the illegal origin of a product, such as unusually low prices or the absence of guarantees.
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