Police bust gang suspected of stealing 40,000 phones

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

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

BBC News reports that the probe was launched past twelvemonth aft a unfortunate traced their stolen iPhone to a warehouse 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 the betterment of stolen devices, according to the constabulary announcement, with telephone theft down by 14 percent successful London truthful acold this year.

“This radical specifically targeted Apple products due to the fact that 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.”