Two pallets of RTX 5090 GPUs worth $470,000 vanish at São Paulo airport

Oderço Distribuidora, a Brazilian electronics distributor operating for 38 years, reported that two pallets of Zotac GeForce RTX 5090 graphics processing units valued at approximately $470,000 (R$2.5 million) disappeared from São Paulo's Guarulhos International Airport. The company stated the shipment arrived in the country on September 20, 2026, passed customs clearance on September 24–25, but could not be retrieved. Airport officials initially indicated a location on October 6 but confirmed on October 14 that the pallets could not be located.

Oderço's president, Oderço Matos, disclosed the incident via social media after the company received no explanation from airport authorities or public officials despite repeated inquiries. Matos emphasized this was the distributor's first experience with such a loss in its history. The company has not publicly disclosed the exact number of GPUs missing, though estimates based on retail pricing suggest at least 58–63 units were on the two pallets. The $470,000 figure represents the distributor's acquisition cost rather than retail value.

GRU Airport operator stated it notified competent authorities and provided Oderço with instructions to initiate a compensation claim process, pending submission of required documentation. No official confirmation of theft has been issued, and the circumstances of the disappearance remain unexplained. Brazilian Federal Police and Federal Revenue Service have not released public statements. The incident occurs amid global shortage of RTX 5090 GPUs, driven by demand from AI data center and server projects. Nvidia has confirmed production continues, though cards remain in limited supply and command prices of $8,000 or higher in some markets.

Historically, high-value GPU shipments have attracted organized theft; previous incidents include armed attacks on security convoys transporting AI hardware in California and truck hijackings targeting equipment marked with the Nvidia logo.