Police in Singapore have seized a luxurious home worth millions of dollars, which was allegedly bought using the proceeds from smuggling of Nvidia artificial intelligence (AI) chips.
The property was last traded for 55 million Singapore dollars (£32m; $42.5m), with at least two-thirds of its purchase price allegedly financed by ill-gotten gains, authorities said on Wednesday.
The home was seized as part of an investigation into alleged illegal trade in servers containing highly sought-after advanced Nvidia chips, which are subject to US export controls.
The US Justice Department has previously identified Singapore as a major transit hub for concealing illegal shipments to China.
Police said an order was given to stop the property being sold during the investigation.
Located a short walk from Singapore’s famous Botanic Gardens, the property is located in a prime district of the land-starved city-state.
Wei Zhaolun, also known as Alan Wei, will be charged with money laundering for allegedly using about S$38 million of criminal proceeds to purchase the house, police said.
He is the chief executive of Aperia Group, which sells servers and other technology hardware to businesses. The BBC has contacted Aperia Group for comment.
Authorities also seized approximately one million Singapore dollars held in bank accounts.
A total of four people, including Wei, have been charged since February 2025 with fraud and other alleged crimes related to the case, police said.
The individuals allegedly placed orders for servers from global suppliers under the pretext that they would be used by the companies they worked for.
Officials have not said where the servers were sent.
Police said the servers in the case were purchased from three suppliers – Dell, Super Micro Computer and Asus. The BBC has contacted all three companies for comment.
If convicted of fraud, the four facing multiple charges could face up to 20 years in prison.
Singapore-based tech companies Luxuriate Your Life and three firms under the Aperia Group also face charges, with police saying it is the first case of corporate entities being prosecuted under these investigations.
The BBC was unable to reach Luxuriate Your Life for comment.
The police said it “takes a zero-tolerance stance towards such crimes” and will take action against anyone violating Singapore’s laws to protect the integrity of the country as a trusted global trade hub.
The US and Singapore have cracked down on illegal shipping of Nvidia chips after Washington banned their exports in 2022 over concerns they could be used by the Chinese military.
Authorities in Singapore said in 2025 that servers containing chips were shipped through the island-state under US export controls.
The US has since approved the sale of some of Nvidia’s semiconductors to China under certain conditions.
