Canada
This article was added by the user . TheWorldNews is not responsible for the content of the platform.

Woman with fake baby bump caught smuggling computer chips into China

Employees work on the semiconductor chip production line of Jiangsu Azure Corp in Huaian, Jiangsu province, China, March 25, 2022.
Employees work on the semiconductor chip production line of Jiangsu Azure Corp in Huaian, Jiangsu province, China, March 25, 2022. Photo by China Daily /via REUTERS

Customs officials in China have arrested a woman smuggling semiconductors inside a pregnancy prosthetic, highlighting the bustling underground market for chips that has sprung up in the world’s No. 2 economy.

The woman was stopped while crossing into Zhuhai from Macau on Nov. 25, customs said in a statement on Thursday, adding she was found with 202 processors and nine smartphones.

As the Canadian national soccer teams head to their respective FIFA World Cups, Derek Van Diest is on the scene to cover all the action. Expect expert insights and analysis in your inbox daily throughout the tournaments, and weekly on Thursdays for the rest of the season.

By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300

An officer at the border cross became suspicious when she questioned the woman, who claimed “she was about five or six months pregnant, but had a big belly that looked like she was in the third trimester.”

Customs officials in China have arrested a woman smuggling semiconductors inside a pregnancy prosthetic, highlighting the bustling underground market for chips that has sprung up in the world’s No. 2 economy https://t.co/byLcsgyakf

— Bloomberg Economics (@economics) December 2, 2022

An underground market for semiconductors has sprung up in China since 2020, when a global shortage of chips started disrupting supplies of everything from smartphones to vehicles. A move by the U.S. to impose sweeping curbs on exports of high-end semiconductors and chip-making equipment to China, partly to stop them being used for military purposes, has further roiled the market.

China’s massive grey market is made up of hundreds of middlemen and is riddled with second-hand or out-of-date chips that can fetch prices 500 times the original cost.

Apple Inc.’s iPhones are typically smuggled into China because they are more expensive there than in Hong Kong and Macau due to import taxes. Smugglers are occasionally caught at the border with dozens of the devices.