Apple fans in mainland China are being made to wait for the iPhone 6 and
smugglers are cashing in, marking up Hong Kong prices by as much as $1,000.

Two days after the iPhone 6 went on sale in Hong Kong, customs officers patrolling a backwater pier came across several men loading boxes into a speedboat.

When the officers approached, the men jumped into the boat and sped off, leaving behind 15 boxes packed with new iPhones.

The smuggling operation is just a small link in a much larger network built to satisfymassive demand for the phones in mainland China, where authorities have yet to approve the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Apple has not said when the new smartphones will go on sale in its second biggest market. State media reported last week that the iPhone 6 has not yet received a key license.

Smugglers have stepped in to fill the gap, charging top dollar for phones that are bought legitimately in Apple stores as far away as New York.

And they could be making a killing, as Apple devotees pay through the nose.