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Police in the United Kingdom have dismantled what they describe as one of the country’s largest phone theft operations — an international gang suspected of smuggling up to 40,000 stolen mobile phones from the UK to China within the past year.
According to the Metropolitan Police, 18 suspects have been arrested and over 2,000 stolen devices recovered during raids on 28 locations across London and Hertfordshire. Officers believe the syndicate may have been responsible for exporting nearly half of all phones stolen in London, the city accounting for most mobile thefts in the UK.
The investigation began unexpectedly on Christmas Eve last year, when a theft victim traced their stolen iPhone to a warehouse near Heathrow Airport. Detective Inspector Mark Gavin said security staff at the site found the device ringing inside a box containing 894 other phones. Nearly all were confirmed to be stolen and were bound for Hong Kong.
That single discovery triggered a year-long investigation. Using forensic analysis, officers identified two Afghan nationals in their 30s believed to be middlemen in the smuggling network. Police bodycam footage captured a dramatic roadside interception of their vehicle, where officers found multiple phones wrapped in foil — an apparent attempt to block tracking signals. Both men, along with a third Indian national, were charged with conspiring to receive stolen goods and conceal criminal property.
Detective Inspector Gavin described the discovery as “the starting point for uncovering an international smuggling gang,” which he said could be responsible for exporting up to 40% of all phones stolen in London. A further 15 suspects, mostly women, were later arrested in early morning raids.
The scale of the problem is striking. Phone thefts in London have tripled since 2020, rising from about 28,000 to more than 80,000 in 2024, with three-quarters of all stolen phones in the UK taken in the capital. Popular tourist areas such as Westminster and the West End remain hot spots, often targeted by moped or e-bike snatchers.
Experts attribute the surge to the booming second-hand smartphone market both domestically and overseas. The Met’s investigation found that street thieves could earn £300 per handset, while stolen iPhones were resold in China for as much as £4,000 each, due to high demand for unlocked devices that can bypass internet restrictions.
Metropolitan Police Commander Andrew Featherstone said the operation “dismantled criminal networks at every level — from street-level thieves to international organized crime groups.”
Despite the large-scale arrests, many victims have expressed frustration with law enforcement, claiming officers often fail to act even when tracking data from Apple’s Find My iPhone pinpoints the device’s location.
One victim, Natalie Mitchell, who had her phone stolen on Oxford Street, told the BBC that she now feels unsafe visiting the city. “I think the police should be doing more — maybe more CCTV or undercover officers,” she said.
Officials, however, insist they are making progress. The Met reports that personal robbery is down 13% and theft down 14% so far this year, with 80 additional officers assigned to central London. Still, the force faces financial strain — it is expected to lose nearly 2,000 officers next year due to a £260 million budget shortfall.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan praised the latest crackdown but urged the mobile phone industry to take stronger measures to make stolen devices unusable. “We need coordinated global action to shut down this trade,” he said. “Only then can we build a safer London for everyone.”