Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on October 7, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
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London police dismantle a gang smuggling 40,000 stolen phones to China, marking the largest UK operation against phone theft with 46 arrests.
LONDON (Reuters) -London police said they have broken up a criminal gang suspected of smuggling 40,000 stolen mobile phones to China in their largest operation against phone theft to date, resulting in 46 arrests over the last two weeks.
The gang could be behind about 40% of all the phone theft in London, police said, which like other global cities has seen a surge in the number of devices stolen in recent years, driven by a lucrative international market and facilitated by fast getaways on e-bikes.
Police said in a statement on Tuesday that the investigation started last year, when a box containing around a thousand iPhones was discovered at a warehouse near London's Heathrow Airport as it was being shipped to Hong Kong.
APPLE PHONES TARGETED FOR RESALE VALUE
The group specifically targeted Apple products because of their profitability overseas, police said, discovering they were paid up to 300 pounds ($403.02) per Apple phone, which could be sold for up to $5,000 in China.
"This is the largest crackdown on mobile phone theft and robbery in the UK," police commander Andrew Featherstone said.
"We've dismantled criminal networks at every level, from street-level thieves to international organised crime groups exporting tens of thousands of stolen devices each year."
Of the dozens of arrests, eleven were made when officers targeted gangs robbing courier vans delivering the new iPhone 17, while two men in their 30s were arrested on suspicion of money laundering after 40,000 pounds in cash was found at a phone shop in north London.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said phone theft was happening on an "industrial scale" and urged phone manufacturers like Apple and Samsung to take more measures to block the use of stolen phones.
"Criminals are making millions by repurposing stolen phones and selling them abroad, with many still able to access cloud services. It's simply too easy and too profitable," he said.
($1 = 0.7444 pounds)
(Reporting by Yoruk Bahceli, editing by Sarah Young and William James)
Mobile phone theft refers to the act of stealing mobile devices, often for resale or illegal use. It has become a significant issue in urban areas, driven by high demand for valuable devices.
A criminal gang is a group of individuals who collaborate to commit illegal activities, often organized for profit. These groups can engage in various crimes, including theft, drug trafficking, and extortion.
Money laundering is the process of making illegally obtained money appear legitimate. It often involves complex financial transactions to disguise the original source of the funds.
High-value products are items that have a significant market price, such as luxury goods or electronics. These items are often targeted by thieves due to their resale potential.
Law enforcement agencies investigate and prosecute financial crimes, including fraud and theft. They work to disrupt criminal networks and protect the public from financial harm.
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