Good news: I know of the existence of two entire pallets worth of RTX 5090 graphics cards—a rare thing in this day and age, as stock appears to have dwindled to virtually zero. Bad news, they've 'gone missing' from a Brazilian airport.
Brazilian electronics distributor Oderço has published an Instagram post drawing attention to the missing Zotac GPUs, which supposedly arrived at Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo, but then promptly vanished.
"In our more than 38-year history, we have never encountered a situation like this—and we will not remain silent," says CEO Oderço Matos (via Tom's Hardware, machine translation). "Two pallets of Zotac RTX 5090 graphics cards have gone missing at Guarulhos International Airport. The merchandise is worth approximately R$2.5 million (at cost), and to date, we have received no answers."
"We are seeking clarification and want to understand what happened," Matos continues. "How can a shipment of such value disappear from within an international airport without any explanation being provided to us?"
The company has not provided the details of the shipment's arrival date or tracking numbers, but the Oderço Group CEO seems more than a little miffed about the lack of official response towards the missing wares. "We are bringing this matter to the public because we need answers," says Matos. "We expect those responsible for the case to come forward, and we hope that the shipment is located."
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R$2,500,000 equates to roughly $495,000, which represents the acquisition cost for the company. I have no idea how many graphics cards that would equate to once they were broken down into individual units, but two pallets worth? Lots, I think I can say that for certain.
I'd also hazard a guess that "gone missing" may be a euphemism for "probably stolen," as I think the wayward GPUs are unlikely to turn up down the back of an airport lounge sofa. I suppose they could always have become mixed up with other freight and shipped off to goodness-knows-where, but one way or the other, the company claims they haven't made it to their final destination.
Has anyone checked in on the whereabouts of Michael De Santa, Franklin Clinton, or Trevor Phillips recently? It seems like their sort of caper. Regardless, the GPUs now appear to be at large—and given retail prices for brand new RTX 5090s are truly jaw-dropping right now, anyone who ends up with a couple of pallets' worth may soon be rolling in cash.