How a stolen iPhone helped police break up a gang accused of sending more than 40,000 cell phones to China

See the videos that are trending on g1 London police claim to have dismantled an international gang suspected of smuggling up to 40,000 stolen cell phones from the United Kingdom to China last year. The Metropolitan Police say this is the biggest operation ever carried out in the UK against phone theft. Authorities say 18 suspects were arrested and more than 2,000 stolen devices were found. Police believe the gang may be responsible for exporting up to half of all phones stolen in London, where the majority of mobile phone thefts in the UK occur. 📱Download the g1 app to see news in real time and for free BBC News had access to the operation, including details about the suspects, their methods and the police raids on 28 properties in London and Hertfordshire. The investigation was launched after a victim tracked a stolen phone last year. “It was on Christmas Eve when a victim electronically tracked his stolen iPhone to a warehouse near Heathrow Airport,” said PC Mark Gavin. Airport security staff discovered the phone was in a box with 894 other phones. Stolen or stolen cell phone? See how to protect access to banking apps How WhatsApp Web became a gateway to a hacker attack focusing on Brazil Towers with cameras are spread across cities and worry experts The box on the left contained the phone that started the entire investigation BBC Agents discovered that almost all of the phones had been stolen and were being sent to Hong Kong. Other shipments were then intercepted and agents used forensic techniques on the packages to identify two men. As the investigation focused on the two men, police body camera footage captured the officers, some with Tasers drawn, intercepting a car in the middle of the road. Inside, agents found devices wrapped in aluminum foil, in an attempt by the offenders to transport the stolen devices without being detected. Several phones, some wrapped in aluminum foil, were found in the car after the arrest of the two Afghan citizens. BBC The men, both Afghan citizens in their 30s, were charged with conspiring to receive stolen property and conspiring to conceal or remove criminal property. When they were detained, dozens of phones were found in the car and around 2,000 other devices were discovered in properties linked to them. A third man, a 29-year-old Indian national, was charged with the same crimes. Detective Gavin stated that “finding the original shipment of phones was the starting point for an investigation which uncovered an international smuggling ring, which we believe was responsible for exporting up to 40% of all phones stolen in London.” Two men are arrested during a stop in the middle of the road by an unmarked police car, as seen in body camera footage. BBC Last week, officers made a further 15 arrests on suspicion of robbery, receiving stolen goods and conspiracy to steal. All but one of the suspects are women, including a Bulgarian national. Around 30 devices were found during police raids carried out in the early hours of the morning. The number of phones stolen in London has almost tripled in the last four years, rising from 28,609 in 2020 to 80,588 in 2024. Three-quarters of all phones stolen in the UK are now stolen in London. The more than 20 million people who visit the capital every year and tourist attractions such as the West End and Westminster are potential targets for robberies and mobile phone theft. BBC News followed police officers on raids against gangs involved in phone smuggling factors behind the increase in theft — and many victims never end up recovering their devices. ‘They’re moving away from dealing drugs and moving into the telephone business’ “We’re hearing that some criminals are moving away from dealing drugs and moving into the telephone business because it’s more profitable,” said Police Minister Sarah Jones. “If you steal a phone worth hundreds of pounds, you can understand why criminals who are one step ahead and want to explore new crimes are turning to this business.” Authorities say the criminal gang specifically targeted Apple products because of their profitability abroad. The Metropolitan Police investigation found that street thieves were being paid up to £300 per device – and police said the stolen devices were being sold in China for up to £4,000 each (£4,000) as they have Internet access and are more attractive to those trying to bypass censorship. Mobile phone thieves often use electric bikes or mopeds to get away at high speed BBC ‘Biggest operation in the country’ Commander Andrew Featherstone, responsible for tackling mobile phone theft at the Metropolitan Police, said: “This is the biggest operation against mobile phone theft and theft in the UK, as part of the most extraordinary series of operations the Metropolitan Police have ever accomplished.” “We dismantle criminal networks at all levels, from street thieves to international organized crime groups that export tens of thousands of stolen devices every year.” Many victims of phone theft have criticized the police for not doing enough. The most frequent complaints include officers not providing assistance when victims tell police the exact real-time location of their stolen phones using Apple’s Find My iPhone or similar tracking services. ‘I think the Police should do a lot more’ Last year, Natalie Mitchel, 29, had her mobile phone stolen on Oxford Street in central London. She contacted the BBC to say she now feels nervous when visiting the capital. “It’s really disconcerting being here and obviously I’m not sure who’s around me. I’m worried about my bag, I’m worried about my cell phone,” she said. “I think the Metropolitan Police should do a lot more – maybe install more surveillance cameras or see if there is some way to get plainclothes officers to deal with this problem.” For its part, the Metropolitan Police — which in recent months has posted on TikTok and other social media platforms several videos of officers confronting cell phone thieves — claims that personal robberies have decreased by 13% and thefts have fallen by 14% in London this year. She says up to 80 more officers are joining the West End team to focus on crimes such as mobile phone theft. The police force will have to lay off almost 2,000 officers, as well as cut several services to deal with a £260 million hole in its budget next year. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the Metropolitan Police were stepping up visible policing across the city and carrying out special operations in hotspot areas such as Westminster and the West End, resulting in hundreds of arrests and thousands of mobile phones seized. Criticizing the ease with which stolen phones can be reused, he added: “I will continue to urge the mobile phone industry to act more rigorously and quickly in combating this crime by making stolen handsets unusable.” “We need coordinated global action to end this trade and build a safer London for everyone.” Oxford Street, in central London, is one of the spots where tourists are targeted for theft BBC

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