An iPhone exposed an international phone smuggling ring
The mystery of how 40,000 stolen mobile phones were smuggled from London to China using a simple iPhone has been solved. British police say they have broken up an international ring that stole and smuggled a huge number of phones from the UK over the past year.
The beginning of the campaign
The investigation was launched last year after a victim identified the location of his stolen phone. Detective Inspector Mark Gavin said: “A victim found his phone in a warehouse near Heathrow Airport just before Christmas. There he found it in a box containing 894 other phones.”
Expedition and results
The Metropolitan Police has described it as the UK’s “biggest operation” to crack down on phone theft. The operation has led to the arrest of 18 suspects and the recovery of more than 2,000 stolen devices.
Police believe the gang is responsible for smuggling almost half of all phones stolen in London overseas. The phones were intended for shipment to Hong Kong. Police bodycam footage shows officers stopping a car with a Taser gun and seizing the phones.
Suspects and allegations
The two main members of the gang are of Afghan origin, aged in their 30s. They have been charged with conspiracy to receive stolen goods and conceal or smuggle criminal property. Dozens of phones were recovered from the car during the raid. In addition, about 2,000 other devices were found from various properties. A 29-year-old Indian national was later charged on the same charges.
Inspector Gavin said: “The discovery of a single phone shipment has exposed an entire international ring. We believe the ring is responsible for smuggling 40 per cent of all phones stolen in London overseas.”
