A woman in Brazil has passed away after seeming to attempt to smuggle 26 iPhones out of the country.
Officials say Ana Julia da Silva Vargas , who was taking a long-distance bus trip, collapsed during a rest stop, complaining of shortness of breath.
While trying to resuscitate her, emergency workers made an alarming discovery.
A 20-year-old woman suffers from shortness of breath during a long bus journey
Police and emergency vehicles at a bus station during a strange incident involving a woman with 26 iPhones glued to her body.
- A 20-year-old Brazilian woman was found with 26 iPhones glued to her body in an apparent smuggling attempt.
- Police discovered the smartphones as they tried to resuscitate Ana Julia da Silva Vargas as she complained of shortness of breath.
- Netizens have been reacting with a range of comments, from surprised to cheeky.
Close-up of a red bus on a city street with a blurred background of pedestrians and other buses.
The bus had been traveling from Foz do Iguaçu to São Paulo, a journey that can take anywhere from 13-15 hours.
Officials say that the bus had made a scheduled stop at a roadside restaurant in Guarapuava, located in the central region of Paraná state.
It was then that 20-year-old Ana Julia da Silva Vargas reported experiencing trouble breathing, local media say.
Ambulance vehicle speeding on a road, related to the incident of a woman with 26 iPhones glued to her body.
When members of the Mobile Emergency Care Service, the SAMU, arrived, they found her awake but struggling with severe shortness of breath.
Then her condition worsened, and she began showing signs of respiratory distress consistent with a seizure.
After 45 minutes of resuscitation efforts, Vargas lost her life.
It was during these life-saving attempts that medical personnel noticed something strange.
Police found 26 iPhones stuck to the woman’s body with glue
Person holding multiple iPhones in different colors, showcasing a collection of 26 iPhones glued to the body concept.
Comment by Shane Taylor discussing the high cost of iPhones in Brazil compared to other countries.
Screenshot of a social media comment discussing a 20-year-old woman found with 26 iPhones glued to her body on a bus.
Several unusual packages were stuck to Vargas’ torso and limbs.
A full inspection revealed that no less than 26 iPhones had been affixed to her body, glued directly on her skin.
Brazil’s Military Police were joined by forensic specialists from the Scientific and Civil Police, who secured the scene and began a formal investigation.
They say it was likely an attempt to smuggle the high-value devices undetected.
Police say sniffer dogs found no drugs on Vargas or in her belongings, but they did find several bottles of alcohol, which have since been seized.
Busy multi-lane highway with cars and a white bus driving in clear weather, illustrating a bus-related incident scenario.
Screenshot of a social media comment discussing a young passenger with multiple devices taped to his chest on a bus.
Netizens are having a range of reactions to the news of Vargas’s seeming iPhone smuggling attempt.
Some people say that the phones were all “probably stolen,” saying that taping things to your person is a common way to get things out of or into a country.
Other people said that the woman might have been trying to sell them. Still others speculated that having so many electronic devices glued directly to your skin might pose a health risk.
“I reckon there was too much radiation pulsing through her body at one given time,” one person claimed.
Close-up of a green bus and a vehicle with red and yellow safety stripes, illustrating a very strange bus incident.
According to the U.S. National Cancer Institute , “The only consistently recognized biological effect of radiofrequency radiation absorption in humans that the general public might encounter is heating to the area of the body where a cell phone is held (e.g., the ear and head).”
Their website continued: “However, that heating is not sufficient to measurably increase core body temperature. There are no other clearly established dangerous health effects on the human body from radiofrequency radiation.”
Other speculations were closer to wisecracks: “Maybe she had a bad connection”, one person chided, while another said, “Maybe she didn’t have service.”
“An Apple a day…” another noted, as a play on the phrase “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
And then there was the borderline dad joke: “She’s a d*ad ringer for love now.”
Brazilian media released a photo of the alleged victim
20-year-old woman dies on bus with 26 iPhones glued to her body, police investigating cause of death
In an official statement, Paraná’s Civil Police said that the iPhones had been confiscated and were now in the hands of the Federal Revenue Service.
Forensic tests to determine the exact reason Vargas lost her life are still being carried out, authorities say.
She was reportedly traveling alone, and police have yet to determine whether she was acting independently or on behalf of a larger smuggling operation.
Vargas’ passing remains under investigation, and officials have not yet released further details, including any possible connections to organized crime.
There have been multiple cases of people trying to smuggle iPhones
Paramedics loading a young woman on a stretcher into an ambulance after a bus incident involving multiple iPhones glued to her body.
Comment from Ciara Fogarty discussing a bizarre case involving poisoning linked to glue and phone radiation.
It’s not the first time iPhones have been smuggled into or out of a country.
Instances have been reported time and again wherein people attach the devices to their bodies and try to enter a country.
In 2015, Chinese customs officials nabbed a Hong Kong man trying to sneak 94 iPhones into the mainland – by affixing them to his body.
Police car on a city street responding to a very strange case involving a woman with multiple iPhones glued to her body.
In October of last year, customs officials at Indira Gandhi International Airport caught a woman trying to smuggle 26 iPhone 16 Pro Max devices from Hong Kong to Delhi
And in January of this year, Pakistani customs officials confiscated 78 iPhone 16 Pro Max devices from the luggage of five flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines.
North Korea severely restricts internet access on citizens’ smartphones
Person in red safety jacket writing on a clipboard, possibly documenting a very strange case involving 26 iPhones on a woman.
iPhones were at the center of another controversy, this time in North Korea, in June of this year.
In a story by the BBC , it was discovered that smartphones in the hermit kingdom are severely restricted.
They reported how a South Korean media company smuggled a phone out of North Korea that was heavily restricted.
“The phone had been programmed so that when a South Korean variant of a word is entered, it automatically vanishes, replaced with the North Korean equivalent – an Orwellian move,” the BBC reported.
The article quoted an expert as saying that “smartphones are now part and parcel of the way North Korea tries to indoctrinate people.”
Netizens speculate about what caused a Brazilian woman found with iPhones stuck to her to lose her life
Comment by Bobbi Craig questioning the strange case of a 20-year-old woman found with 26 iPhones glued to her body.
Comment about 5G radiation from iPhones possibly affecting health, referencing iPhones and radiation risks.
Comment from Coba Badenhorst asking about the possibility of stolen phones related to 26 iPhones glued to a woman’s body.
Screenshot of a social media comment by Olivia Hensley reacting to a story about a woman with 26 iPhones glued to her body.
Comment on social media post about a 20-year-old woman passing away with 26 iPhones glued to her body, referencing iPhone obsession.
Comment by Glyn Jones questioning if a woman worked for a call centre and was going to work from home.
Comment stating police were searching for a woman who passed away with multiple iPhones glued to her body.
Comment about iPhones glued to a surface, mentioning a limit of 25 iPhones in a casual chat setting.
Comment by Abu Ahad questioning if it is possible to die from glue in a social media post discussion.
Comment by Lou Dee on a light blue background stating there must be a message somewhere in there.
User comment discussing tax evasion and smuggling iPhones in Paraguay, mentioning guns and safety concerns.
Tatiana Kitrick sharing a thoughtful message about self-love and uncertainty in a light blue text box on social media.
Comment by Jennifer Abbate Morgan saying she thinks the world has gone totally crazy, expressing disbelief.
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