While some smuggle drugs and other exotic animals, a Chinese woman has agreed to become a processor’s mule.according to Mydrivers report (opens in new tab)Chinese customs officials detained a woman who tried to strap in 202 Intel processors and nine iPhones inside a prosthetic belly.
The incident occurred at Gongbei Port in Zhuhai, where a woman, believed to be pregnant, was trying to return to mainland China from Macau. The perpetrator claimed she was five months pregnant. However, her belly was large for her alleged gestational age and she was walking with ease, which raised many suspicions. After careful inspection, customs officials discovered that she had used duct tape to secure the contraband and hidden it under a fake silicone belly. She wouldn’t have been able to get past it because it’s unlikely she’d be able to get through a metal detector.
Authorities seized 202 Intel processors, judging by the photos. They appear to be Intel’s 12th Gen Alder Lake chips and this is still one of his best CPUs for gaming. Also included in the loot were nine of his iPhones. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen reports of Chinese hardware smugglers. In March, a man tried to sneak through customs with 160 Intel processors taped to his body. Last year, Chinese customs arrested a shady fishing boat trying to bring 300 graphics cards into mainland China.
Interestingly, nearly every report in the last two years has involved criminals trying to smuggle Intel processors. I can’t remember the last time I heard of someone smuggling AMD chips. But given Intel’s customer market share and latest offerings, there’s no denying that Intel processors are a more attractive item for chip mules.
