Six years ago, a warehouse employee at one of Apple’s top suppliers, Jabil, stole thousands of iPhone 5C casings from a factory in China before the product was announced. The employee, with help from a security guard, falsified documents and avoided security cameras as he drove a truck filled with the candy-colored shells out of the gates, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The incident, which hasn’t been previously reported, was one of the most devastating leaks to come out of Apple’s supply chain, the people said. Images of the iPhone 5C soon appeared on the Internet, spoiling the reveal at the company’s carefully choreographed media event that September. Jabil didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The Takeaway

• Apple’s product security team in China works to stop leaks of unreleased products

• Factory workers have hidden iPhone parts in clothing and have even dug tunnels

• Apple sends people undercover into black markets to buy and trace stolen parts