A Chinese woman was caught red-handed trying to smuggle hundreds of computer processors and iPhones across the border by pretending to be pregnant.
The woman in question, according to local news sources, was entering China from Macau in late November when customs officials stopped her and questioned her about her “odd” posture.
Inspectors were doubtful despite her claim that she was five months pregnant because of how big her belly was.
The officials swiftly realised that she was not pregnant at all after running her via a scanner. Instead, she was donning a prosthetic baby belly filled with nine iPhones and more than 100 Intel CPUs.
Her tummy was large enough for her to be 40 weeks pregnant, but the smuggler could move fast and claimed to be just five or six months pregnant, which, according to reports, gave the game away.
This is not the first attempt to smuggle an iPhone via Chinese border guards.
She was wearing “more clothing than was appropriate,” according to customs officers, for the weather.
Technology has a substantial black market in China, where enormous wholesale outlets sell stolen, fraudulent, and counterfeit goods.
According to a Forbes article, fake smartphones are easy to purchase in China, where “bandits” offer devices with “the superficial look and feel of brand-name handsets but at a fraction of the price.”
This is said to be beneficial for consumers and seen as a way for those who are less fortunate to acquire similar technology to everyone else.
