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London’s Metropolitan Police announced on Monday the arrest of 46 individuals as part of an operation aimed at dismantling a global network believed to have smuggled nearly 40,000 stolen phones from the UK to China.
Authorities described this as the “largest” operation against phone theft ever conducted in the British capital, which sees a particularly high incidence of thefts in tourist areas.
The police operation, referred to as Operation Echosteep, began in December 2024 following the discovery of a box containing around 1,000 iPhones, most of which were later confirmed to be stolen, en route to Hong Kong, located near Heathrow Airport.
A total of 46 arrests have been made in connection with this operation, including 11 arrests related to criminal gangs targeting delivery vehicles for the latest iPhone 17.
“This is, without doubt, the largest operation of its kind in UK history,” London mayor Sadiq Khan said, adding that police had targeted smuggling gang leaders as well as “street robbers and snatchers”.
According to the Metropolitan Police, over 80,000 mobile phones were reported stolen in London throughout 2024.
