Abstract:
New developments have recently emerged in a large-scale theft case involving high-end graphics cards in Brazil. Previously, a Brazilian hardware distributor disclosed that two pallets of Zotac GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards imported from the United States disappeared mysteriously at Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo. The total value of the goods was approximately US$470,000. Now, authorities say three airport workers have been implicated in the case, and one of the stolen graphics cards has appeared for sale online.
The company involved, Oderço Distribuidora, is a Brazilian computer hardware importer and distributor. The company previously stated that these RTX 5090s disappeared after arriving at Sao Paulo Airport and being transported to the company. Company president Oderço Matos said the company finally decided to make the incident public after failing to obtain a reasonable explanation from relevant public agencies or the airport for a long time.
Matos also pointed out that the lack of relevant surveillance video records during the cargo transfer process is particularly suspicious. In addition, the airport is said to be neither willing to cooperate with media investigations nor actively respond to the company's questions.
After the case came to light, a Brazilian TV news agency discovered that one of the stolen Zotac RTX 5090s had appeared for sale on the local second-hand trading platform OLX, with a price tag of more than $6,000. According to the current market conditions, this price is even considered to be relatively cost-effective.
What is even more concerning is that the product photos uploaded by the seller clearly show the graphics card serial number. Investigators confirmed that the product was consistent with the graphics card in the missing shipment. This apparent oversight helped the outside world trace the flow of stolen graphics cards for the first time. However, the listing information has been deleted, and there is no information in the public information that can directly confirm the identity of the seller.
According to police investigation, the goods arrived in Brazil on September 20 and completed customs registration on September 25. The original plan was to then ship it from Guarulhos to Curitiba, but when it came time to transship the two pallets of graphics cards, they could no longer be found.
Police reports show that surveillance video captured two outsourced forklift drivers moving goods out of the warehouse on September 21. At the same time, a third staff member allegedly allowed the GPUs to pass electronic security inspections in the system. The graphics cards were then loaded onto a truck and transported away from the scene, and the vehicle has yet to be found.
It is worth noting that RTX 5090 has been in tight supply recently. There were even rumors in the market that the graphics card has been discontinued and that in the future, GB202 chips will be given priority to the more profitable RTX Pro Blackwell professional products. However, Nvidia has recently denied this claim. Despite this, RTX 5090 is still very scarce in the US market. Nvidia's official mall has no stock in stock, and most retailers sell it for more than $9,300.
This is not the first time that similar graphics card theft incidents have occurred. During the cryptocurrency boom and supply shortages caused by the epidemic, there were a number of theft cases of Ampere architecture graphics cards between 2020 and 2022. At that time, the market price of RTX 3090 was about US$2,000 to US$2,500. Now, if you can buy an RTX 5090 at this price, it will almost be regarded as a bargain. Because of their high value and scarcity, high-end graphics cards continue to be coveted by criminals.
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