A man tried to enter China with 160 Intel CPUs attached to his body, in a case that once again exposes the ridiculous plans that those who are dedicated to smuggling computer components are capable of concocting. This peculiar situation occurred on March 9, although it was only made official over the weekend through a publication of Chinese Customs on Weibo.
According to the authorities of the Asian giant, the protagonist of this story – a man named Zeng – tried to enter the country through the Gongbei port of entry, on the border with Macao. In principle, he tried to do it through the channel that does not require a customs declaration; However, his strange posture and way of walking caught the attention of customs employees.
Thus, registering it they ran into a major attempt to smuggle PC components. According to the information available, the subject had the 160 CPUs taped on the calves, waist and abdomen. Chinese Customs authorities released a short video of the smuggler’s arrest operation; it shows that the hardware in question corresponds to 11th and 12th generation Intel processors.
But as if that wasn’t enough, the smuggler he was carrying 16 smartphones that he was also trying to enter China illegally. Although it has not been mentioned what mobiles they were, they would have been folding models. A truly peculiar case, but one that is far from being a novelty for Chinese Customs; is that in recent years several events of this type have been detected.
Chinese Customs detains ‘walking CPU’
Another peculiarity of this smuggling case is that the Chinese Customs has baptized the offender as Walking CPU, or “walking CPU”. Without a doubt, a pinch of humor for a truly ridiculous case. But, as we have said before, this case is not the first of its kind, and it may not be the last.
Last year, Chinese authorities detained to two drivers for trying smuggling more than 300 processors across the border between Hong Kong and Macau. One of them had at least 256 10th-generation Intel CPUs glued to his legs and chest; the other had 52 processors hidden between the seats of his vehicle.
And while there is likely to be a correlation between the global shortage of chips and increased smuggling of computer components, there has also been a particular interest in other technological devices. Thus, for example, there have already been several cases of people who have tried to deceive (without luck) the Chinese Customs to enter with undeclared iPhones.
In January 2015, a man was arrested for carrying 94 units of the Apple smartphone taped to his body. A couple of months later, another person was caught in a similar situation but with 146 mobiles of the Apple. In 2017, meanwhile, a woman tried to smuggle 102 iPhones to China, but also failed in his attempt.
But going back to the case of the man arrested for trying to enter the Asian giant with 160 Intel CPUs attached to his body, its fate is unknown. From the Chinese Customs they have only mentioned that the case would be processed in accordance with the relevant legislation.
For now, the authorities have left a warning to try to dissuade new smuggling attempts. “For those who evade customs surveillance by means of personal concealment of articles, which constitutes contraband, customs will investigate legal responsibility according to law,” they indicated.