Smuggler busted with 102 Apple iPhones by Shenzhen, China customs officials

A woman has been arrested in mainland China for smuggling 42 pounds of contraband into the country from Hong Kong, including 102 iPhones and fifteen high-end watches.

First reported by XMNN earlier in July, Shenzhen Louhu customs officers noticed a woman with unusual bulges and strange body proportions progressing through customs on her way back from Hong Kong on June 30. Pulled aside for search, the woman was found to have four layers of iPhones wrapped around her torso and waist, sealed in plastic and securely fitted.

Shenzhen officials claimed after the search that they normally spot smugglers with "less than a dozen" iPhones trying to get into the country, but periodically get people with 70 to 80 of the devices. For this squad, the 102 iPhones with 15 watches was a record.

The vast majority of devices appear to be from the iPhone 6 family, based on size and antenna shape. It is not immediately clear if the devices are genuine or clones. The story was first spotlighted by Kotaku.

Prices for the iPhone can vary greatly between the China mainland and Hong Kong, with devices costing up to 30 percent more in China's mainland because of taxes and other levies. It is unclear if the woman was forced to smuggle the devices, or is willingly part of a larger ring.