Man stuffs 84 SSDs inside an electric scooter to try to get by Chinese customs

Image Credit: Gearrice An attempt was made by a guy to smuggle 84 NVMe SSDs into China by concealing them inside an electric scooter, but he was caught trying to do so. This is the most recent instance of someone employing creative means to get hardware past Chinese customs agents. When a nervous-looking traveler rode a Yadea KS electric scooter through the "non-declaration channel" on March 3, customs officers at the Guangdong-Macao crossing got suspicious. An X-ray of the scooter revealed things concealed in the steering rod, confirming the guards' intuition. As the agents disassembled it, they discovered 84 NVMe SSDs with the Kingston brand concealed within the hollow tube. According to the General Administration of Customs, anybody who evades customs supervision by moving, carrying, disguising, hiding, or concealing commodities or products that are liable to payment of taxes, as is the case in this instance, will be subject to legal investigation. There is no information on what transpired to the individual who used his scooter as a makeshift container for smuggling, although it is unlikely to have been positive. It's interesting to note that individuals frequently use electric scooters to smuggle goods into China; however, they typically conceal the goods within the battery compartment. Regrettably, the X-ray equipment thwarted the person's efforts in this case. Still, this strategy is certainly preferable to the outdated technique of trying to stow 84 SSDs in an orifice. Image Credit: Hstcl

Several methods have been used to try and smuggle technology into China. In 2017, a lady was arrested for attempting to strap 102 iPhones to her body to evade customs authorities. This technique is very popular: in a 2021 instance, someone attempted to cheat import duties by gluing 256 CPUs worth $123,000 to their calves and body. Another guy attempted to smuggle 160 CPUs and 16 foldable phones by tapping them to himself.

A lady tried the more inventive tactic of hiding 202 Intel CPUs and nine iPhones below a fake pregnant tummy last year. She may have seen that individuals connecting gear to their bodies were being discovered. It was a failure.