How Apple’s ‘Find My iPhone’ Helped Bust Gang Behind 40,000 Stolen Phones

A man’s attempt to track his stolen iPhone has turned into one of the UK’s biggest-ever crackdowns on organised mobile phone theft. With Apple’s built-in tracking feature, London’s Metropolitan Police have dismantled an international smuggling network that allegedly trafficked nearly 40,000 stolen iPhones to China over the past year. Also Read: 6 Best Premium Tablets For Office Work: Which One You Should Buy

From One Stolen iPhone to a Global Network

The operation reportedly began when a victim, whose iPhone was stolen on Christmas Eve last year, used Apple’s tracking system to locate the device. The signal led police to a warehouse near Heathrow Airport, where nearly 900 iPhones were found inside a shipment box – most later confirmed stolen. That accidental discovery helped investigators uncover multiple other consignments being prepared for export to Hong Kong. Also Read: Flipkart Diwali Sale 2025: Grab MacBook Air M2 At Nearly Half Its Launch Price

According to the Met Police, the stolen phones were being shipped in bulk to Hong Kong, where newer iPhone models were sold for up to £4,000 each. Investigators say the smuggling operation was running “quietly but at scale,” with the gang using warehouses and private couriers to move devices out of London.

Massive Operation and Arrests

According to a BBC report, 18 people have been arrested so far, and more than 2,000 devices have been seized in multiple raids across London and nearby areas. Two Afghan nationals – believed to be the masterminds – were taken into custody last month. The pair are suspected of being behind nearly 40 percent of all iPhone thefts in the city. A 29-year-old Indian national has also been charged in connection with the smuggling network.

Commander Andrew Featherstone called it the biggest operation of its kind in the country’s history. “This is the largest crackdown on mobile phone theft and robbery in the UK. We are talking about serious, organised criminal activity,” he told The Mirror.

London’s Soaring Phone Theft Problem

Data from the Met Police shows phone thefts in London have risen sharply – from around 28,000 cases in 2020 to over 80,000 this year, accounting for nearly three-quarters of all such crimes in the UK.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan hailed the operation as a “milestone moment” in the fight against organised crime, praising the police for going after both street-level thieves and the criminal networks driving large-scale smuggling.