In the port of Gangbei, which connects the areas of Macao and Zhuhai in China, the authorities have carried out an operation where the seizure of 780 units of intel processors that were being introduced smuggling. Every day thousands of people try to get illicit merchandise across the border.
The seized cargo, made up of 780 Intel processors, had an estimated value of $137,000. The processors were hidden in the engine of a truck who was trying to cross the border. It is presumed that all this was done so that when the vehicle passed through the metal detector it would avoid detection of the CPUs in the control.
Smuggling in China
The smuggling group apparently hoped that by hiding the processors in a metal vehicle, they could go undetected through the metal detector. However, their plan was thwarted due to the intervention of the Chinese authorities, who carried out a manual inspection of the truck and discovered the illegal cargo.
It was not revealed which CPUs they were specifically, however, According to the official Chinese government description, the CPUs are part of the Alder Lake (12th generation) and Raptor Lake (13th generation) line. The destination of these smugglers was not revealed either, if they were arrested or if any investigation is being carried out to find out where the processors come from.
How did they find the CPUs?
Chinese customs officials at the Gangbei port reported that they noticed something strange inside the vehicle, when they observed it through a digital image taken by the metal detector. That’s why they decided to do an inspection of the engine and discovered a modification, where the 780 Intel CPU units were hidden. No further details about the investigation were released.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time, and probably not the last, that we’ve heard of hardware being smuggled into China. In this case, they attempted to smuggle the products into a modified truck engine, however, other people have previously been arrested for less brilliant ideas, such as tying themselves up. 450 SSD around your waist.
Despite being an extremely lucrative market, the country also faces a serious smuggling problem and arrival of various technological products that enter illegally.
This incident highlights the efforts of the authorities to combat smuggling and tax evasion in the region. Furthermore, it reveals the creativity of criminals in their attempts to circumvent security controls.
Fountain: tomshardware
