Shanghai customs busts suspected iPhone smuggling

Customs officials at Shanghai Pudong International Airport have seized 453 iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, estimated to be worth over 2 million yuan (320,000 U.S. dollars).

The latest Apple smartphones were found in seven luggage carried by two passengers from Tokyo, one Japanese citizen and the other Chinese, on Thursday, according to the customs, which declined to give more details as investigation is still underway.

As of Thursday, officers in the Shanghai airport have found a total of 831 iPhones that were not declared by travellers. Among them, 691 seized phones were under probe on suspicion of smuggling, authorities said.

As IPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are not available yet on the Chinese mainland, most passengers carrying these phones were from Canada, Russia and Hong Kong, according to the customs.

An official told Xinhua that the phones for personal use will be returned to owners once duty is paid, but large quantities can be confiscated on suspicion of smuggling.