Police Busts Gang Suspected Of Stealing 40,000 Phones

The Metropolitan Police said its nan “largest ever cognition to tackle telephone theft successful London.” | Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

An world pack suspected of smuggling up to 40,000 stolen phones from nan UK to China complete nan past 12 months has been dismantled by constabulary successful London. The criminal web is allegedly responsible for up to 40 percent of each phones stolen successful nan metropolis during this period, according to nan Metropolitan Police service, which described nan crackdown arsenic its “largest ever cognition to tackle telephone theft successful London.”

BBC News reports that nan investigation was launched past twelvemonth aft a unfortunate traced their stolen iPhone to a storage adjacent Heathrow Airport, which was discovered successful a container containing astir a 1000 iPhones being shipped to Hong Kong. The intercepted shipment led to “significant arrests” and nan betterment of stolen devices, according to nan constabulary announcement, pinch telephone theft down by 14 percent successful London truthful acold this year.

“This group specifically targeted Apple products because of their profitability overseas,” Detective Inspector Mark Gavin said successful a statement. “We discovered thoroughfare thieves were being paid up to £300 (around $403) per handset and uncovered grounds of devices being sold for up to $5,000 successful China.”