TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Chinese police on Wednesday (Nov. 27) arrested five suspects on suspicion of smuggling more than 2,000 iPhones through a secret tunnel believed to lead to Hong Kong.

According to UDN, police located the suspects after receiving reports about possible smuggling operations in Shenzhen. A car was seized, and more than 2,000 iPhone 11s worth a total of at least NT$10 million (US$328,000) were found in the trunk.

Following the arrest, the police also discovered a 250-meter-deep tunnel, a pulley machine, and ropes of customized endurance lines in a nearby abandoned warehouse covered with hundreds of auto tires. The Shenzhen police suspected that the underground passage was used to transport the smartphones and that neighboring Hong Kong was at the other end.

The division chief of the investigation team, Li Anzhu (李安柱), said that this was the first cross-regional case the team had encountered. He added that methods of smuggling had become more diverse in recent years and that illegal goods are being delivered by land, sea, and air.

More than 2,000 iPhones seized. (Facebook photo)