Woman found dead on bus with 26 iPhones glued to her body

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A young woman is dead after collapsing on a bus in Brazil with 26 iPhones affixed to her body.

The unidentified 20-year-old was feeling unwell and reportedly having trouble breathing before going into cardiac arrest, according to local reports.

Emergency responders treating the woman found packages containing the phones, some of which were refurbished, attached to her body, according to Brazilian news network G1.

Paramedics spent 45 minutes attempting to save her, but failed.

Aside from the phones glued to her body, authorities discovered more cellphones inside her luggage, as well as alcoholic beverages.

“The 26 cellphones that were glued to her body were seized and sent to the Federal Revenue Service,” the Parana Civil Police said in a statement, per the Daily Mail.

“According to preliminary information, the woman, who was alone, was travelling from Foz do Iguaçu to Sao Paulo,” they noted, adding that the investigation is ongoing as they await forensic reports to clarify the cause of death.

Dogs did not detect any drugs on the woman or in her luggage, according to the outlet.

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It is suspected the victim died smuggling the iPhones as Brazil has a large black market for such devices brought in surreptitiously from bordering countries, H2FOZ reported.

The seizure of smuggled cellphones has increased by 25% during the first five months of 2025, according to the news outlet.

“[Cellphone smugglers) pass through in small quantities and distribute them to the rest of Brazil,” said Claudio Marques, a deputy delegate of the country’s Federal Revenue Service.

Forbes reported last year that illegally sold phones at the beginning of 2023 made up 9% of the market— a figure that more than doubled to 25% by the end of that year.

The cost of iPhones in Brazil are eye-popping once tax is added.

Last year, the iPhone 16 with 128GB of storage was marketed at $1,396 in Brazil, according to the website BGR, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max with 256GB of storage, cost $2,238.