Smugglers in China Use Drones to Transport iPhones Across Border From Hong Kong, Earning Millions

Smugglers in China Use Drones to Transport iPhones Across Border From Hong Kong, Earning Millions
A drone that was confiscated after Chinese authorities arrested suspects who used drones to smuggle iPhones from Hong Kong to Shenzhen, pictured in Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province in China on March 29, 2018. Liu Youzhi/Southern Metropolis Daily via Reuters
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BEIJING—Customs officers in southern China’s tech hub Shenzhen busted a group of criminals using drones to smuggle 500 million yuan ($79.8 million) worth of smartphones from Hong Kong to Shenzhen, the state-run newspaper Legal Daily reported on March 30.

Authorities arrested 26 suspects who used drones to fly two 200-meter (660-feet) cables between Hong Kong and the mainland to transport refurbished iPhones with a total value of 500 million yuan, the paper said in a report on the crackdown by Shenzhen and Hong Kong customs. The two cities border each other.