One iPhone Led Police to Gang Who Sent 40,000 Stolen UK Phones to China
One iPhone Led Police to Gang Who Sent 40,000 Stolen UK Phones to China
Police have dismantled an international gang suspected of smuggling up to 40,000 stolen mobile phones from the UK to China in the past year.
In what the Metropolitan Police says is the UK's largest ever operation against phone thefts, 18 suspects have been arrested and more than 2,000 stolen devices discovered.
The Christmas Eve Discovery
"It was actually on Christmas Eve and a victim electronically tracked their stolen iPhone to a warehouse near Heathrow Airport," Detective Inspector Mark Gavin said.
"The security there was eager to help out and they found the phone was in a box, among another 894 phones."
Officers discovered almost all the phones had been stolen and were being shipped to Hong Kong.
The Investigation
Further shipments were intercepted and officers used forensics on the packages to identify two men.
Police bodycam footage captured officers carrying out a dramatic mid-road interception of a car. Inside, officers found devices wrapped in foil - an attempt to transport stolen devices undetected.
The Arrests
- 2 Afghan nationals (30s) - charged with conspiring to receive stolen goods
- 1 Indian national (29) - charged with same offences
- 15 additional arrests last week - mostly women, including a Bulgarian national
About 2,000 devices were found at properties linked to them.
Rising Crime Statistics
The number of phones stolen in London has almost tripled in four years:
- 2020: 28,609 phones stolen
- 2024: 80,588 phones stolen
Three-quarters of all phones stolen in the UK are now taken in London.
Why Phones Are So Lucrative
Senior officers said the criminal gang specifically targeted Apple products because of their profitability overseas.
- Street thieves paid: up to £300 per handset
- Sold in China for: up to £4,000 each
- Internet-enabled devices attractive for bypassing censorship
Commander Andrew Featherstone said: "We're hearing that some criminals are stopping dealing drugs and moving on to the phone business because it's more lucrative."
The Scale of the Problem
Det Insp Gavin said finding the original shipment "was the starting point for an investigation that uncovered an international smuggling gang, which we believe could be responsible for exporting up to 40% of all the phones stolen in London."
Police Response
Commander Andrew Featherstone, the Met's lead for tackling phone theft, said:
"This is the largest crackdown on mobile phone theft and robbery in the UK in the most extraordinary set of operations the Met has ever undertaken."
The Met is boosting visible neighborhood policing and deploying special operations in hotspot areas like Westminster and the West End.
🔒 Protect yourself: Complete our security checkup to ensure your phone is secure before theft occurs.
Source: BBC News, 7 October 2025