UK police uncover international phone theft ring – with 40,000 stolen phones heading to China a year
The Metropolitan Police has dismantled a suspected international smuggling gang and seized thousands of stolen devices in its largest ever operation to tackle phone theft in London.
After an investigation lasting nearly a year, officers disrupted a major criminal network suspected to have smuggled up to 40,000 stolen phones from the UK to China over the past 12 months – up to 40 per cent of all phones stolen in London.
A further 15 people were arrested in relation to street-level offending such as robberies and pickpocketing — and by targeting offenders at all levels, the Met has significantly disrupted the stolen phone market.
“This is the largest crackdown on mobile phone theft and robbery in the UK in the most extraordinary set of operations of this kind that the Met has ever undertaken,” said Commander Andrew Featherstone, the Met’s lead for tackling phone theft.
“We’ve dismantled criminal networks at every level, from street-level thieves to international organised crime groups exporting tens of thousands of stolen devices each year. Londoners deserve to feel safe, and this is a clear sign of the Met’s commitment to protecting them and driving down crime.
“We’ve shown how serious we are about tackling this issue, but we need more help from the industry. We’re calling on phone manufacturers such as Apple and Samsung to do more to support us and protect their customers — especially around phone security and re-use.”
The arrests are as a result of an investigation which started last December when a box containing around a thousand iPhones being shipped to Hong Kong was found at a warehouse near Heathrow Airport.
Officers discovered almost all of the phones had been stolen – and this resulted in the launch of Operation Echosteep. Specialist detectives – who would ordinarily investigate armed robberies and drug smuggling – were brought in to track down the suspects.
They intercepted further shipments and used forensics found on the packages to identify two men. Detectives carried out further enquiries over the following months as more packages were sent out of the country.
On Tuesday, 23 September, two men, aged in their 30s, were arrested in north-east London on suspicion of handling stolen goods. They were subsequently charged and remanded in custody.
A number of phones were found in their car – and around 2,000 more devices were found at properties linked to the suspects.
As a result of their enquiries officers also uncovered details of some of the street-level offenders involved in thefts and robberies. Over the past week officers have made a further 15 arrests on suspicion of theft, handling stolen goods and conspiracy to steal.
More than 30 suspected devices were also found during searches at 28 properties across London and Hertfordshire.
