Smuggler with 94 iPhones strapped to body foiled by metal detector when passing from Hong Kong to China

A man has tried and failed to smuggle 94 iPhones into China from Hong Kong by strapping them to his body.

Having passed two bags through security without problem, the smuggler unsurprisingly set off the metal body-scanner alarms. Staff at the port, which connects Hong Kong with mainland China, later commented on the man's "weird walking posture, joint stiffness [and] muscle tension".

Reported by Chinese publication Sina, the man had a range of iPhones strapped to his back, chest, stomach and legs, including the new iPhone 6 and older iPhone5/5s model, both in various colour options.

Until recently, iPhones were only available to Chinese Apple fans through the grey market - mostly bought abroad and smuggled into the country to be sold for a profit - but with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Apple began selling in China through official channels.

But if this man's bold attempt at earning a quick buck is anything to go by, there is still plenty of demand for smuggled iPhones on the grey market.

Chinese authorities began cracking down on iPhone smuggling last year, with one operation preventing 67 iPhone 6 handsets from reaching China from Hong Kong. In September a second incident saw authorities intercept a group of men unloading boxes onto a small boat; they fled the scene, leaving 286 iPhone 6 devices behind.

Since the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus went on sale in September, Shanghai's international airport has found more than 800 iPhones which were not declared by travellers.

The maximum fine under Hong Kong law for illegally exporting undeclared cargo is $2 million and seven years in prison.