Smuggling Ring Charged as Trump Okays Nvidia Sales to China

Operation Gatekeeper Targets Illegal Export of Nvidia Processors to China Rashmi Ramesh (rashmiramesh_) • December 9, 2025

An alleged smuggling ring illegally sold at least $160 million in advanced Nvidia artificial intelligence chips to China, U.S. federal prosecutors said Monday while announcing charges against found individuals. A Houston business owner pleaded guilty to charges of smuggling and unlawful export activities.

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Alan Hao Hsu, also known as Haochun Hsu, 43, admitted to smuggling Nvidia H100 and H200 Tensor Core GPUs between October 2024 and May this year, prosecutors said. Documents associated with the case, including the complaint and Hsu's guilty plea, are under seal.

Prosecutors said Hsu and his company, Hao Global, falsified shipping documents to conceal the chips' destinations and received more than $50 million in ...