The iPhones were brought in by four US nationals on US-Vietnam flights. They were unable to provide the required papers when asked. The 250 iPhones worth nearly VND7bn (USD300,000).
Tran Ngoc Anh, vice head of the Customs Branch of Tan Son Nhat Airport, said that imported mobile phones needed to be declared at customs.
“If passengers bring more than two mobile phones that worth more than VND20m (USD857) then they must pay tax and register customs declaration of quality. Or else they will be fined and the goods will be re-exported out of Vietnam,” he said.
After Apple released their new iPhones, the risk of smuggling to Vietnam is high. In order to prevent new iPhone smuggling, the customs at Tan Son Nhat Airport said they had applied several measures to detect smuggled goods.
The authorities are investigating the sources of the smuggled iPhones.
According to a report on Hanoitimes