Australian customs seizes fake iPhones that deliver a shock

Australia’s customs service seized on Thursday more than 6,000 weapons that arrived in the country from China, including a batch of fake iPhones that deliver electric shocks.

A photo published by the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service showed one of the devices with an instruction sheet describing it as the “iPhone 4 super ultra electronic thin riot.”

A spokeswoman for the agency didn’t have immediate information on whether police had tested the devices or where the items were intended to be sold.

The device looks similar to an older iPhone. Another photo published by customs showed the shocking mechanism on the top of the phone opposite the headphone jack.

The fake iPhones were among other weapons in the shipment, including brass knuckles, extendable batons and other shock devices, according to a press release.

A member of the public tipped off police in the state of Victoria to the shipment, which was then seized under a warrant by the customs agency. A 43-year-old man from Thomastown, Victoria—a suburb of Melbourne—was arrested.

The man could face a maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine of AU$425,000 (US$394,000), the customs agency said.