Chinese border control have caught smugglers trying to bring in hundreds of newiPhone 7 handsets on the same day the product was launched.
Smugglers were caught crossing over from Hong Kong to Shenzhen in southernChina with phones hidden in their trousers and tied around their waists, reports the People’s Daily Online.
According to border control, on September 16, they confiscated more than 400units of the iPhone 7 and 7 plus estimated to be worth some three million yuan (£344,787).
The phones were seized on September 16, the same day that the iPhone 7 and 7 plus went on sale in Hong Kong and mainland China.
According to reports, customs in Futian port in Shenzhen stopped the first suspicious passenger in the arrivals hall and found that he was carrying five newiPhone 7 phones.
Throughout the day, the numbers of those attempting to smuggle the models intoChina increased.
Pictures show the extreme measures people go to in order to smuggle the items out of Hong Kong and into the mainland.
According to reports, one phone per traveller is permitted and those with multiple handsets are accused of smuggling.
At 4pm, customs seized another 44 handsets from 10 people.
But peak smuggling time was between 6.30pm and 7pm where customs seized 190 new iPhones from seven people, all of whom strapped the new handsets on theirbodies.
By the end of the day, customs had seized some 400 units.
The customs office said that when items like these are confiscated they usually either put them up for public auction, transfer it to relevant authorities or destroy the items.
In this case, the customs office say they will put the items up for auction.
In Hong Kong, the basic price of an iPhone 7 is HK$5588 (£552) while an iPhone 7 in the mainland costs 5388 yuan (£619).
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Source: Daily Mail