Border authorities uncovered iPhone smuggling worth half a million dollars at the Polish border.

On Tuesday, January 7, in the evening at the "Ugryniv – Dolgobychiv" crossing point on the Polish-Ukrainian border, customs officers in Lviv discovered 424 undeclared latest model iPhones. They were found hidden in the upholstery of a Ukrainian's vehicle who was attempting to pass through customs control via the "green corridor".

According to a report from the Lviv customs, the estimated value of the smuggled goods is 500,000 USD (21.15 million UAH). The man attempted to illegally import iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max models into Ukraine. These models were released for sale in September 2024. The press service of the Western Regional Department of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine clarified that the smuggling was attempted by a 36-year-old driver of a Mercedes Sprinter.

Photo by Lviv Customs

The customs officials drew up an administrative protocol for violating customs regulations, in accordance with part 1 of Article 483 of the Customs Code of Ukraine. The penalty for this is a fine ranging from 50% to 100% of the value of the goods, along with the confiscation of the goods and the vehicle.

The border guards released a video showing how the hidden iPhones were retrieved from the upholstery of the minibus.

Additionally, the customs officers notified the police about the incident, which has the signs of a crime as outlined in Article 201-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (smuggling of goods). The sanctions for this article include a fine ranging from 10,000 to 75,000 non-taxable minimum incomes of citizens or imprisonment for a term of five to eleven years.