London police announced on Monday the arrest of 46 people as part of an operation that dismantled a global network suspected of illegally shipping 40,000 stolen phones from the UK to China, LETA reported citing AFP.
The police stated that this was the "largest" operation against mobile phone thefts in London, where thieves are particularly active in popular tourist spots.
The police operation, codenamed "Echosteep," was launched in December 2024 after a box containing approximately 1,000 iPhone smartphones, intended for shipment to China, was discovered near Heathrow Airport. It turned out that most of these phones were stolen.
As part of this operation, the police arrested a total of 46 people. Eleven of them were detained during an investigation against criminal groups that were robbing vehicles carrying supplies of new iPhone 17s.
"This is undoubtedly the largest operation of its kind in British history," said London Mayor Sadiq Khan, adding that the police struck not only at the leaders of the smuggling network but also at "street robbers and thieves."
According to the London police, over 80,000 mobile phones were stolen in the city in 2024.
