In China, people regularly attempt to smuggle hardware across the border. Once again, someone has been caught trying to smuggle 306 processors.
A user in China was arrested for attempting to smuggle hardware components across the border. In total, this case involves 306 processors that he hid to smuggle past customs. This is not the first case of smuggled processors in China.
306 processors were hidden all over the smuggler’s body
How was he caught? On June 29, the man was arrested while attempting to move from Macau to mainland China (via tomshardware.com). Customs officers, who were observing incoming travelers, believed that the man was “walking in an abnormal manner”.
During the subsequent search, the officers discovered 306 processors wrapped in plastic and tape distributed over the man’s waist, legs, and back. Additionally, the processors weighed a total of about 15 kg, which burdened the carrier. A single CPU weighs on average 50 grams.
His strange posture and gait had drawn the attention of customs officers. If he had walked “normally”, he might not have been noticed, although that is not certain. Because the Chinese border authorities are currently paying close attention, as such smuggling cases are on the rise.
There are now high monetary and prison penalties for smuggling, yet individuals regularly attempt to smuggle electronic components such as processors, SSDs, or even graphics cards.
What kind of processors are these? The Chinese authorities did not comment on the processors, but it can be seen in the pictures that they are CPUs for the LGA-2066 chipset. Therefore, they are no longer cutting-edge or current CPUs.
Smugglers are regularly caught in China
It happens regularly that people are caught trying to bring hardware past customs.
Recently, someone was caught trying to transport 84 SSDs in an electric scooter to China. The local authorities were also amazed by the ingenuity some people have.
During the boom of Bitcoin and Co., some individuals even smuggled expensive graphics cards. In one case, the Chinese authorities caught a gang with loot worth over 200,000 euros. This also shows the great demand for such graphics cards at the time:
