By Gao Yuan and Mackenzie Hawkins

(Bloomberg) – Singapore is probing whether Dell Technologies and Super Micro Computer servers shipped to Malaysia housed Nvidia chips barred from China, an investigation that highlights the role of middlemen in funnelling high-end semiconductors.

The country’s law minister on Monday outlined specifics of the probe after local media reported police arrested several people for their alleged roles in procuring and shipping Nvidia chips in violation of US sanctions. They stand accused of misleading server suppliers of the actual end users of the hardware, which were shipped from Singapore to Malaysia, Law Minister K Shanmugam told reporters. Authorities are now investigating if the servers, made by Dell and Super Micro, made their way to other countries, he said.