Two pallets of ZOTAC RTX 5090 graphics cards worth $470,000 disappear at Brazilian airport

Oderço Matos, president of the distributor, released a video explaining that while the GPUs arrived at the airport, they could not be located afterward. Matos, who noted that his company has been operating for 38 years and importing hardware since 2008, stated that this is the first time in the company's history that an imported shipment has gone missing.

The executive claimed that repeated requests for information regarding the shipment's whereabouts have gone unanswered. Furthermore, the company raised concerns regarding airport security, noting a lack of surveillance footage documenting the movement of the pallets. As of now, no theft has been officially confirmed by the Brazilian Federal Police or the Federal Revenue Service, and airport operators have not responded to media inquiries.

The exact quantity of graphics cards and the specific ZOTAC models included in the two pallets remain unknown. However, market context in Brazil shows significant price premiums for high-end hardware; retail prices for RTX 5090 cards in the country are reported to range between R$33,000 and R$39,000 ($6,200 to $7,300). It is important to clarify that the $470,000 figure represents the distributor's acquisition cost, not the total retail value.

This incident occurs amid ongoing supply challenges for NVIDIA's flagship hardware. While NVIDIA has confirmed that the GeForce RTX 5090 has not been discontinued, the company has acknowledged supply constraints, making the availability of these GPUs a significant issue for both retailers and consumers.