California man charged with smuggling $300 million in Nvidia chips to China
A single case worth $300 million over three years shows chips still flow to China via Southeast Asian transshipment despite export controls.
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A California man has been federally charged with smuggling more than $300 million worth of Nvidia advanced chips into China.
Prosecutors say 38-year-old Yiu Kong Lui was arrested Thursday and faces charges of violating export controls, smuggling and money laundering, carrying up to 50 years combined. His company brokered deals between US chipmakers and foreign shippers, routing chips first to Malaysia or Singapore and then into China, in an operation running from 2023 until August.
The case lands after the Trump administration loosened chip sales to China, showing enforcement against smuggling continues regardless. Nvidia said it will keep working with law enforcement. The defendant has not yet entered a plea.