Police in Singapore have seized a luxury home worth 55 million Singapore dollars (£32m; $42.5m) that was allegedly bought using profits from smuggling advanced Nvidia AI chips. At least two-thirds of the purchase price is said to have come from illicit earnings, authorities said on Wednesday.
The property, a short walk from the city-state's famous Botanic Gardens, sits in a prime district of land-scarce Singapore. An order is in place to stop it being sold while investigations continue.
“Singapore police seize $42.5m mansion allegedly bought with proceeds from smuggling Nvidia AI chips.”
Wei Zhaolun, also known as Alan Wei, will be charged with money laundering for allegedly using around 38 million Singapore dollars of criminal proceeds to fund the purchase. He is the chief executive of Aperia Group, which sells servers and tech hardware to businesses.
Authorities have also seized about one million Singapore dollars held in bank accounts. Four people, including Wei, have been accused since February 2025 over fraud and other alleged crimes linked to the case.
The individuals allegedly placed orders for servers from global suppliers – Dell, Super Micro Computer and Asus – under the pretence that they would be used by companies they worked for. The servers contained advanced Nvidia chips subject to US export controls, which Washington restricted in 2022 over concerns they could be used by the Chinese military.
The US Department of Justice has previously flagged Singapore as a key transit hub to conceal illegal shipments to China. Authorities in Singapore said in 2025 that servers containing chips under US export controls were believed to have been shipped via the island-state.
Corporate entities, including Luxuriate Your Life and three firms under the Aperia Group, also face charges in what police say is the first instance of companies being prosecuted under these investigations. If convicted of fraud, the four individuals could face jail time of up to 20 years.