London Police Dismantles International Network Smuggling 40,000 Stolen Phones in 'Exceptional' Operation

London police announced the dismantling of the largest network for smuggling stolen phones in its history, as part of a security operation described as 'exceptional', following a year-long investigation that uncovered the smuggling of tens of thousands of devices abroad.

According to the British newspaper The Times, the operation named 'Ecostep' resulted in the seizure of a criminal network involved in smuggling more than 40,000 stolen smartphones from London over the past year, with these devices being sent abroad to be resold at prices reaching up to $4,000 per phone.

The police explained that the threads of the case began last December when a woman used the 'Find My iPhone' feature to track her stolen phone, discovering that it was on its way to Heathrow Airport. During a raid on a suspicious shipment heading to Hong Kong, officers found about 900 luxury phones, most of which were found to be stolen.

Chief Inspector Mark Gavin said, 'What started as an investigation into a single theft quickly turned into the uncovering of an organized international smuggling network,' noting that authorities enlisted specialized teams in drug smuggling and armed robbery to expand the investigation.

In recent months, police managed to arrest two leaders of the network in possession of more than 2,000 stolen phones, before carrying out a new raid campaign last week that led to the arrest of 15 other individuals.