Woman Caught at Airport with 44 IPhones Hidden in Her Stockings

Published on: 1st Jan 1970: 1:33am

Smuggling mobile phones through airports can be a risky business, although the risk will be mitigated by choosing airports known to have weaker security. If you seek to smuggle a large number of phones through an airport then, it would be wise to avoid Israel's Ben-Gurion International Airport, which is famous for having particularly effective security.

­Last week, an Israeli woman in her 60s was therefore stopped on a return flight from London with a total of 44 Apple iPhones hidden in her stockings under her clothes.

Although the security service notably use profiling and observance to identify suspicious people, this lady was caught when put through a body scanner by suspicious security staff who had noticed her unusual gait in the airport. Putting 44 iPhones in your stockings would make walking difficult.

The woman was later released, but faces either a fine or criminal prosecution.

Smuggling the iPhone into Israel can be a lucrative trade as the phones sell for a significant premium in the country if offered as an unlocked handset. The handset was initially banned from the country, although that bar was lifted over a year ago.

On the web: Haaretz

 

Tags: [apple iphone]  [smuggling]  [Israel]