Police in Singapore have seized a luxury home worth 55 million Singapore dollars (£32m; $42.5m) that was allegedly bought with proceeds from smuggling Nvidia artificial intelligence chips. The property, located a short walk from the city-state's famous Botanic Gardens, sits in a prime district of land-scarce Singapore. Authorities said at least two-thirds of its purchase price was funded by illicit earnings from the illegal trade in servers containing advanced Nvidia semiconductors, which are subject to US export controls.
Wei Zhaolun, also known as Alan Wei, the chief executive of Aperia Group – a company that sells servers and other tech hardware to businesses – will be charged with money laundering for allegedly using around 38 million Singapore dollars of criminal proceeds to fund the purchase of the house. Police have also seized approximately one million Singapore dollars held in bank accounts.
“Singapore police seized a $42.5m mansion allegedly bought with proceeds from smuggling Nvidia AI chips.”
The seizure is part of a wider probe into the illegal trade of servers containing sought-after Nvidia chips, which the US Department of Justice has previously flagged as being funnelled through Singapore as a key transit hub to conceal shipments to China. The US restricted the export of Nvidia chips in 2022 over concerns they could be used by the Chinese military.
According to police, a total of 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 under the pretence that they would be used by companies they worked for. The servers were bought from three suppliers – Dell, Super Micro Computer and Asus. The BBC has contacted all three companies for comment.
If convicted of fraud, the four, who face multiple charges, could face jail time of up to 20 years. Singapore-based tech companies Luxuriate Your Life and three firms under the Aperia Group also face charges in what police say is the first instance of corporate entities being prosecuted under these investigations. The BBC has been unable to reach Luxuriate Your Life for comment.
In a statement, police said an order was in place to stop the property from being sold during the investigation. They added that they hold a zero-tolerance stance towards such offences and will act against anyone who violates Singapore's laws to protect the country's integrity as a trusted global business hub.
Authorities in Singapore said in 2025 that servers containing chips under US export controls were believed to have been shipped via the island-state. The US has since approved the sale of some of Nvidia's semiconductors, but the investigation continues.