The recent chip shortage shows how far people will go to get rare parts and gadgets. Those impatient for new electronics battled huge price tags, frustrating lottery systems, questionable sellers, and unreliable inventories. But just as people go to extremes to buy technology, they can take extreme measures to sell them.
In 2023, the gray market for PC components such as CPUs, SSDs, HDDs and devices such as phones and computers in mainland China looks to be thriving. Just ask the Chinese and Hong Kong customs officials who are announcing a string of seizures of the tech’s hardware, including a batch worth about $3.8 million reportedly acquired Monday.
510,000 electronic devices seized
Hong Kong Customs announced it had seized 508,000 PC parts, including CPUs, computer hard drives and RAM sticks. Estimated market value is approximately $3.5 million. There were also 2,000 electronic devices estimated to be worth about $255,000, including laptops, phones, dash cams, and touchscreen styluses.
Customs officials reportedly found the gear while inspecting a departing container truck at Man Kam To Control Point. Hong Kong Customs said it had arrested a 61-year-old male truck driver who was “suspected of being involved in the incident”.
Wong Chi-man, Senior Inspector at Hong Kong Customs’ Cargo and Vehicle Processing Department, said, “The electronic products are believed to have been taken to the mainland for resale or reassembly,” according to Hong Kong’s The Standard.
“Customs will continue to combat cross-border smuggling activities with decisive enforcement actions based on risk assessment and information analysis,” Hong Kong Customs said Wednesday.
Guilty parties could face fines of up to $2 million and seven years in prison, according to the announcement.
sticky situation
A week and a half earlier, Chinese customs created a bust containing 239 CPUs and taped it around the man’s thighs and stomach. Based on an image customs reportedly shared (which you can see on his website for the Chinese publication MyDrivers), the batch includes the current generation of his Intel Core i5-13400F consumer CPU. was
Customs released details of the incident on WeChat, MyDrivers reported. According to a Google translation of the MyDrivers article, the suspected smuggler “entered the country through Customs’ ‘no-declaration route’ at the Gongbei Passenger Checkpoint. , he was bloated. He looked abnormal and was intercepted for investigation.”
Macau, home to Gongbei Port, has reportedly become a popular entry point for smuggling products into China.
