China is apparently the place to be when it comes to smuggling iPhones. From housewives smuggling large amounts of iPhones and iPads to one dude taping about 30 iPhones onto his person, it seems more and more would-be smugglers are trying to make a quick buck in the world’s largest nation. So, why China?
China has a large import tax on products like the iPhone, making them key targets for folks with disposable cash who want to make a quick buck. Would-be smugglers can purchase iPhones outside of China, sneak into China and sell at a slightly marked up price for a profit. Chinese officials are quickly wising up to these smuggling operations, and we’re hearing more and more stories of people getting caught at the border.
Today’s busted smuggling ring is a bit on the crazy side. An older lady was offered some cash to be a mule for the iPhone smuggling operation, and was given over 70 bottles of beer that had been smashed, filled with a few iPhones a piece, then taped back together and wrapped in a dark plastic bag. Unfortunately for these knuckleheads, alcohol bottles just beg to be searched by customs officials, so over 70 of them wrapped in black plastic bags probably wasn’t the best idea of the bunch. Though, if they had to drink all the bottles to empty them, I guess we should give them some props for coming up with a halfway acceptable idea while completely trashed.
We can’t wait for the next episode of Busted: iPhone Smugglers.
[via Phone Arena]