Man Caught Smuggling 9,000 Memory Cards at HK Border

Customs officials in southern China recently detained a man trying to smuggle thousands of phone memory cards into the mainland.

The incident took place at the border between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. The man had 9,000 memory cards reportedly worth around RMB100,000 strapped to his body and hidden underneath his clothes. One official claims that he offered them a RMB50,000 bribe after being caught.

This comes just hours after officials caught an elderly woman trying to smuggle more than 10,000 phone memory cards by strapping them to her waist and legs. And last year, a Hong Kong man was intercepted with 146 iPhones hidden under his clothes.

But why do people try and smuggle goods that are readily available on the mainland? It comes down to taxes. In Hong Kong, a duty-free port with no sales tax, foreign electronics are cheaper to buy and therefore attractive to smuggle. 

[Images via South China Morning Post]