Hardware smuggling is on the rise in China, where access to new technologies is restricted due to US embargoes. Recently, many smugglers have been caught, from those who wrap their body with a processor and stuff an SSD into their gearbox.Hardware smuggling is on the rise in China
Especially since 2021, there has been an increase in escaping hardware components seized at Chinese customs. Many smugglers are caught trying to smuggle components wrapped around their bodies or hidden in the compartments of their vehicles.
In April 2021, it was on the agenda that a person was caught with 256 Intel processors wrapped around his body. On the same date, 300 mining cards were confiscated at customs. In March 2022, 5840 mining cards were seized. In the following periods, different products such as Intel and AMD processors and foldable phones were confiscated at customs.
According to researches, the amount of illegal hardware components caught in Chinese customs in the last 2 years has exceeded 4 million dollars. It exceeded 250 thousand dollars only in the first quarter of 2023. Of course, these are the recorded amounts. It is estimated that the products that cannot be caught may be more than this. Especially the high demand for Intel Alder Lake and Raptor Lake processors shows that embargoes give birth to opportunists.
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