US EditionPolice launch UK's largest ever crackdown on phone thefts
The Metropolitan Police arrested 46 suspects and seized thousands of devices in the UK’s largest phone theft crackdown, cutting London’s robbery rates by 13%, officials said.
- The Met has arrested 46 individuals in a crackdown on an international phone theft ring, marking the largest operation of its kind in UK history.
- Detective Inspector Mark Gavin stated that the investigation was triggered by the discovery of 1,000 stolen devices at Heathrow Airport, linking to a network responsible for 40% of phone thefts in London.
- The operation uncovered a gang believed to have smuggled up to 40,000 phones from the UK to China over the past year.
- Two Afghan nationals have been charged for being part of the smuggling network.
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57 Articles
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Again and again, passers-by in London smartphones are simply ripped out of their hands. Now the police are exposing a large alleged criminal network.
Associated Press News
UK police uncover gang suspected of smuggling thousands of stolen phones to China
British police say they have disrupted a criminal network suspected of smuggling up to 40,000 stolen mobile phones to China in the past year.
7 October 2025: 'Major sting operation smashes UK’s biggest stolen phone gang' and other world headlines
Here are the stories that made headlines on the front pages of newspapers worldwide on Tuesday, 7 October 2025. The Daily Mail’s front page reported that a major sting operation had dismantled a gang responsible for nearly half of Britain’s stolen mobile phone exports. The Washington Post reported that the orders may leave a mark on the guard. China Daily’s front page reported that the mantle of the Moon is ‘colder’ on its far side. The New Yor…
In Operation Echosteep against a network of street thieves, London police arrested 46 people.
What does China do with stolen phones? London police bust global phone theft network, arrest 46
London’s Metropolitan Police have broken up a massive international network accused of smuggling tens of thousands of stolen phones to China, raising questions about how the stolen devices are repurposed abroad.
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