RTX 5090 Shipments Worth $500,000 Vanished Into Thin Air At São Paulo Airport, Distributor Says This Has Never Happened In Nearly Four Decades Of Operation - Wccftech
Two pallets of ZOTAC-made RTX 5090 GPUs arrived at the Guarulhos International Airport terminal in São Paulo, worth around $500,000, but according to the latest report, the flagship GPU shipments had gone missing after a distributor filed a complaint. For instance, the account provided by the distributor does not explain how the pallets disappeared, when in the airport’s handling chain they were lost, or who might be responsible. Only recently, there were reports that the RTX 5090 was being discontinued as the GPU disappeared from NVIDIA’s marketplace.
Two pallets of ZOTAC-made RTX 5090 GPUs arrived at the Guarulhos International Airport terminal in São Paulo, worth around $500,000, but according to the latest report, the flagship GPU shipments had gone missing after a distributor filed a complaint. After seeing the ravenous demand for NVIDIA’s flagship GPU, its launch price of $1,999 climbed to a whopping $5,000–$7,000, making it an opportunity of a lifetime for criminals who want to sell the top-end graphics card at a premium through online marketplaces.
At a cost of R$ 2.5 million, Oderço, a distributor based in Maringá, in the state of Paraná, will be fuming after it learned about the incident. Shortly after the RTX 5090 shipment was nowhere to be found, the news spread rapidly thanks to a public video posted on Oderço’s social media accounts by its president, Oderço Matos. He has stated that the company is still seeking clarification and has not received any information that would help locate the merchandise.
The distributor says it has contacted the relevant parties to investigate and is demanding answers about what happened to the goods. According to Times Brasil, Matos mentioned that the company has been importing products since 2008, making it a period of nearly two decades—not once in the company’s 38-year operational history has it ever lost or misplaced a shipment, until now. The remark underscores how unusual the company considers the incident and frames the loss as a departure from an otherwise clean track record.
Sadly, much about the case remains unclear. For instance, the account provided by the distributor does not explain how the pallets disappeared, when in the airport’s handling chain they were lost, or who might be responsible. The report also does not mention any police investigation, statement from the airport operator, or response from customs or logistics providers. Until those parties comment, the only version of events available is the company’s own.
With its 32GB of GDDR7 VRAM and 1.79TB/s of memory bandwidth, the RTX 5090 will be a godsend for anyone wanting to experience AAA 4K gaming or, at the very least, run small- to mid-sized AI models at excellent prompt-processing and token-generation speeds. In short, it’s easy to conclude why a shipment of NVIDIA’s latest and greatest GPU would be in the crosshairs of those trying to score big, even if it’s at the expense of distributors like Oderço.
Only recently, there were reports that the RTX 5090 was being discontinued as the GPU disappeared from NVIDIA’s marketplace. Thankfully, the company responded, stating that the claims are untrue, but as you can tell, its sheer demand will attract the wrong kind of attention. For now, the latest episode raises questions about security and traceability in the handling of high-value electronics at one of Latin America’s busiest airports. Whether the missing pallets are recovered and whether authorities or the airport’s operators explain what went wrong will determine how the story develops.
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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