London police announced on Tuesday (October 7) the dismantling of an international criminal gang specializing in Apple products. The gang is suspected of smuggling up to 40,000 stolen phones to China within a year. This marks the largest operation conducted by the police against mobile phone theft to date, with a total of 46 arrests made in the past two weeks.
It is estimated by the police that this gang may be linked to around 40% of mobile phone theft cases in London. Like other international cities, London has seen a significant increase in stolen devices in recent years, driven by the lucrative international black market and thieves utilizing fast transport methods such as electric bikes to commit crimes.
One victim of street theft, Akara Etteh, recounted an incident to the BBC last September. In April of the previous year, as he exited the Holborn subway station in central London on a Saturday morning, a thief on an electric bike snatched his iPhone from him.
More than a month after the theft, in May, Etteh used the “Find My iPhone” feature and discovered that his beloved phone had ended up on the other side of the world in Shenzhen, China.
Commander Andrew Featherstone stated that the large-scale investigation, known as Operation Echosteep, began last year.
On Christmas Eve last year, a victim located his stolen iPhone near Heathrow Airport in a warehouse using electronic tracking.
Upon arriving at the scene, the police found the victim’s phone in a package intended for Hong Kong, along with 894 other phones, almost all of which were stolen devices.
To evade tracking, the stolen phones were reportedly often wrapped in tin foil (similar to a Faraday bag) in an attempt to block GPS and other tracking signals.
The police mentioned that the gang specifically targeted Apple products due to higher profits from these smartphones overseas.
It was found that the gang paid street thieves up to £300 (about $403) for each Apple phone, and the resale price in China could reach up to 5,000 Chinese yuan.
Commander Featherstone stated, “This is the largest operation to combat mobile phone theft and robbery in the UK to date. From street thieves to international organized crime groups exporting tens of thousands of stolen devices every year, we have disrupted criminal networks at every level.”
In the total of 46 arrests, 11 individuals were caught while targeting a gang involved in robbing delivery vans transporting the new iPhone 17. Additionally, two men in their thirties were arrested on suspicions of money laundering, as the police found £40,000 in cash at a mobile phone store in North London.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan expressed that mobile phone theft is occurring on an “industrial scale.”
He urged phone manufacturers like Apple and Samsung to take more measures to prevent the use of stolen phones, stating, “Criminals are making millions by refurbishing stolen phones and selling them overseas, many of which can still access cloud services. This crime is too easy and too profitable.”
By implementing stricter regulations and enforcement, hopefully, such criminal activities can be mitigated and deterred in the future.