This Woman Tried to Smuggle 102 iPhones Into China by Taping Them to Her Body

The iPhone smuggling industry is apparently a huge headache in the region.

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Image via Marc Mueller

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If you're going to dip your toes into the world of international iPhone smuggling, this is probably not the way to go about it. A woman was recently busted for trying to smuggle more than 100 iPhones from Hong Kong into mainland China, 9to5Macreported Tuesday. Amazingly, the report notes, the woman's final estimated haul (a whopping 102 iPhones) isn't the highest alleged iPhone smuggling on record.

According to local reports, the woman caught the attention of Shenzhen authorities on the evening of June 30 when they noticed she was wearing decidedly season-unfriendly attire. Additionally, XMNNreported, customs officials were suspicious of the woman's disproportionately bulky torso.

Ultimately, 102 phones and 15 "luxury watches" were found strapped to the would-be smuggler's body. But why would someone be trying to smuggle in so many fucking phones in the first place?

iPhones are said to be cheaper in Hong Kong thanks to taxes. Additionally, according to a 2012 Reutersreport on China's previous efforts to crack down on iPhone (and iPad) smuggling, participants are paid up to 30 yuan (just under $5) in commission for each phone that successfully makes it from Hong Kong into mainland China. Simply put—the greater the risk, the greater the reward.

102 iPhones is an inarguably large amount of iPhones. Back in 2015, however, someone else reportedly took the dedication a step further by attempting a 146-device smuggle that included affixing 20 phones to his legs.

As this year marks the 10th anniversary of the first-generation iPhone and the arrival of a new model that's been battling seemingly daily speculation from Apple enthusiasts, we should probably expect more stories like this in the coming months.

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