Oct. 7 (UPI) — Britain’s Metropolitan Police said they dismantled an international smuggling gang and seized thousands of stolen cell phones.
Police disrupted a major criminal network suspected to have smuggled up to 40,000 stolen phones from the United Kingdom to China in the past year. This is up to 40% of all phones stolen in London, a press release said. The investigation lasted nearly a year.
Police also arrested 18 people, including 15 for robberies and pickpocketing. They’ve found more than 2,000 stolen phones, BBC reported. Police said they believe this gang could be responsible for exporting up to half of phones stolen in London.
The operation began after one victim traced their stolen phone.
“It was actually on Christmas Eve, and a victim electronically tracked their stolen iPhone to a warehouse near Heathrow Airport,” Detective Inspector Mark Gavin told the BBC. “The security there was eager to help out, and they found the phone was in a box, among another 894 phones.”
Police found that most of the phones were stolen and were being shipped to Hong Kong. Police used forensics on the packages to identify two men.
Police did a mid-road interception of a car, and they found devices wrapped in foil, an attempt to make them less detectable. The two men were Afghan nationals in their 30s. About 2,000 more devices were found at properties linked to the men. A third man, a 29-year-old Indian national, was also captured. The three were charged with conspiring to receive stolen goods and conspiring to conceal or remove criminal property.
Last week, police made 15 more arrests for theft, handling stolen goods and conspiracy to steal. All but one of the suspects were women, including one Bulgarian national. About 30 more devices were found.
Phone theft in London has nearly tripled in the past four years, BBC reported. The number has gone from 28,609 in 2020, to 80,588 in 2024. The areas targeted by thieves are the West End and Westminster, which are tourist areas.
“We’re hearing that some criminals are stopping dealing drugs and moving on to the phone business because it’s more lucrative,” Policing Minister Sarah Jones told BBC. “If you steal a phone and it’s worth hundreds of pounds, you can understand why criminals who are one step ahead and want to exploit new crimes are turning to that world.”
The gang specifically targeted Apple products because they can be sold for more profit.
The Metropolitan Police found street thieves were getting paid up to $400 per handset, and stolen devices are being sold in China for up to $5,400 each. Their Internet connectability is attractive in China so users can get past censorship.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he would ask the mobile phone industry to make it more difficult to repurpose stolen phones.
“We need coordinated global action to shut down this trade and build a safer London for everyone,” Khan said.
