The truck was carrying a declared shipment of 1,089 boxes of Internet TV receivers, remote controls and connectors. However, when passing through the scanner, it produced images that aroused suspicions in the customs personnel: what they saw on the screen was incompatible with what the truck should have been carrying.
Thus, they proceeded to a physical inspection of the cargo and, first of all, they found that it had an undeclared surplus. The 300 boxes with crypto mining plates that did not correspond to what was declared were valued at over $240 million.
At the time the agents found the merchandise, the Paraguayan company presented documentation stating that what the boxes contained were CPUs valued at USD 30 per unit, but it was already too late: a quick search of the visible brands on the products made it clear that it was a different kind of merchandise—and a far more valuable one.
From that moment on, Customs seized all the cargo, the means of transport and filed the appropriate criminal complaint for the crime of smuggling before Federal Court No. 1 of Mendoza.
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Another raid in the free zone of La Plata
In relation to the irregularities linked to cryptocurrencies, the procedure carried out in Mendoza is added to a search carried out in the La Plata Free Zonewhere, in the event of a fire caused by an electrical incident, a mining farm had been discovered. Specifically, there are suspicions of irregularities in the importation of some 1,000 machines and other technological inputs valued at about US$1.5 million, for which smuggling is one of the possible crimes.
The raid, ordered by the Federal Criminal and Correctional Court No. 3 of La Plata, was carried out by personnel from the General Directorate of Customs, together with the Argentine Federal Police.
Indeed, Customs verified the existence of a high-consumption electrical installation that would supply a sector that has 1,200 cryptocurrency mining machines in active operation, as well as boxes containing new unused miners. Likewise, he proceeded to a detailed survey of the place, the preparation of an inventory and the seizure of documentation and flash drives with information provided by the person in charge of the address.
Source: Ambito
