Two imprisoned for smuggling 200 iPhones from Hong Kong

Hanoi residents Tran Dinh Viet, 36, and Nguyen Van Cuong, 34, were sentenced Wednesday to 9 years and 7 years respectively for attempting to smuggle the VND3.2 billion ($135,306) in goods disguised as uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), according to the Da Nang People’s Court.

In August 2017, Viet secured a trading business license and hired Cuong to perform customs procedures to import electronics and phones for his company.

Cuong was paid a salary of VND15 million a month. He was given the company’s legal documents and sent to Da Nang for work.

Meanwhile, Viet was in contact with a woman named Xuan in Hong Kong in order to buy phones. Xuan buys iPhones at Apple-authorized shops in Hong Kong for resale in Vietnam.

Viet placed an order with Xuan but told her to register the phones as UPS in order to evade import taxes in Vietnam.

On September 29, 2017, police arrested Cuong as he carried goods received from Xuan out of customs. The bust secured 200 iPhone 6S Pluses.