Smuggler Tries to Enter Russia With 120 iPhone 5S Models

Aug. 18, 2014

A man was detained after attempting to smuggle 48 kilograms of iPhones into the Russian.

A resident of Kaliningrad was detained after attempting to smuggle 48 kilograms of iPhones into the Russian exclave, a regional news outlet reported Monday.

Klops.ru, a Kaliningrad news portal, cited the regional border patrol service as saying that a Russian man had attempted to cross the border between Lithuania and Russia on the Curonian Spit with 120 iPhone 5S models worth more than 3 million rubles ($83,250). The goods, which were seized by border guards Sunday, had been hidden under the driver and passenger seats.

The iPhone 5S with 16 gigabytes of memory costs 29,990 rubles ($832) in Russia, nearly $200 more than in the U.S.

Since June, Russia's wealthiest have been able to purchase a limited-edition, gold-plated iPhone 5S bearing the image of President Vladimir Putin for the princely sum of 147,000 rubles ($4,078) from an Italian luxury brand.

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