In recent news, multiple units of chips were seized by the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department recently. These chips were available in batches, and all those chips appeared to be the Intel Core i7-10700 and Intel Core i9-10900K. However, it’s not the first of the occurrence as three different incidents have lately come to light with all of them involving attempts at smuggling CPUs across Chinese border control points. This shows just how desperate the need for CPUs is in the country.
Earlier on June 16, the customs office managed to take control of 256 processors at a Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge inspection point. Reports indicate that the agents became suspicious due to the nervous behaviour of a truck driver and his co-driver, this guy is not meant for this business. After suspecting them, the officers went with a thorough examination which revealed dozens of CPUs taped to the smugglers’ bodies, bloody hell.
The officers stated that the estimated value of the illicit goods was HK$800,000 (US$103,000). And after a few days on June 26th on the same bridge, another batch of 52 brand-new chips was discovered being smuggled in a van. This time the chips were jammed in-between the driver and co-driver’s seats. Man, these people are getting dumber and dumber.
Coming to the third incident which occurred recently on July 5th this time the smugglers were snatched by the Hong Kong Customs agency itself. According to the report, a truck was stopped at the Lok Ma Chau Control Point between Hong Kong and mainland China.
And during this inspection officers uncovered more than 2,200 processors, over 1,000 RAM parts, 630 smartphones, and even 70 cosmetic items. You cannot get bolder than this. The estimated value of the whole stash was over HK$4 million (US$515,000). The smugglers caught in the act will face up to a HK$2 million fine (US$257,000) and up to seven years of prison time.
