The London police have announced the bust of a global smuggling network, arresting 46 people suspected of stealing nearly 40,000 stolen phones and smuggling them through Hong Kong to China. This is the largest stolen phone ring ever uncovered in London, where phone theft has become increasingly severe in recent years, including street snatching and even violent robberies. Popular tourist areas such as the West End and Westminster are particularly notorious hotspots for phone theft.
Over 80,000 Phones Stolen in London Last Year
According to the Metropolitan Police, over 80,000 mobile phones were stolen in London last year, three times the more than 28,000 reported in 2020, accounting for 75% of all stolen phones in the UK. Across the UK, at least 230 phones are stolen on average each day, double the figure from five years ago.
On Monday, the Metropolitan Police announced the successful dismantling of a transnational criminal group believed to have smuggled close to 40,000 stolen phones from the UK through Hong Kong to China over the past year.
About 1,000 Stolen iPhones Recovered from Warehouse
British police launched their investigation under the codename Echosteep in December last year after a theft victim tracked their stolen iPhone via an electronic tracking system to a warehouse near Heathrow Airport in London. The police immediately launched an investigation and found the phone in a shipment of goods destined for Hong Kong; inside the crate were about 1,000 iPhones, nearly all reported as stolen property.
Police subsequently launched a large-scale investigation, intercepting several batches of cargo parcels and, through forensic tracking, identified two male suspects. On September 23, officers intercepted a suspicious private car on a London street and found multiple phones wrapped in tin foil inside. Two Afghan men in their thirties were arrested and have been charged with conspiracy to receive stolen goods and conspiracy to conceal or transfer criminal property. They are currently in custody awaiting trial. Around 2,000 stolen phones were also recovered from addresses associated with the men.
Later, a third suspect, a 29-year-old Indian man, was arrested. Last week, police carried out a series of early-morning raids in London and Hertfordshire, arresting 15 people on suspicion of theft, handling stolen goods, and conspiracy to commit burglary, and seized about 30 more phones during the operation.
Each Theft Earns £300
The Metropolitan Police stated that preliminary investigations show the criminal group specifically targeted Apple products as they command higher prices abroad. According to the BBC, street thieves could earn about £300 (1,699 Malaysian Ringgit) for each phone stolen. After being smuggled to China, each phone could sell for as much as £4,000 (22,600 Malaysian Ringgit).
To date, London police have arrested 46 people, with another 11 arrested for robbing vans transporting the newly released iPhone 17. Additionally, two men were arrested at a mobile phone shop in North London on suspicion of money laundering and handling stolen goods, with the police seizing approximately £40,000 (226,500 Malaysian Ringgit) in cash at the scene.