Rising Demand for Apple Products on Chinese Black Market

If you're living in China, it might get harder to pick up some drugs on your street corner as more and more professional smugglers switch over to electronics. The newest version of the iPad has not yet been released in China, but there's definitely a demand; individuals are just turning to illegal products to satisfy their cravings.

A recent bust of 88 iPads and 340 mobile phones that 14 housewives attempted to smuggle into China shows that smartphones and tablets are among the items that are now in demand on the black market. The net worth of the electronics is reported to be 950,000 yuan, or roughly $143,000 by the Guangzhou Daily. One woman had 65 smartphones attached to her waist and another had 20 in her handbag, the newspaper reports. For their efforts they only made $30 each trip, pointing out that smugglers are now targeting people with no criminal records in order to get the black market goods over the border.

Read the full story at Time's Techland.