40,000 iPhones, $5,000 Each: Largest-Ever OCG Dismantled
Details of Operation Echosteep.
Details of Operation Echosteep.
The London Police have reported that as part of Operation Echosteep, a group responsible for mass iPhone thefts has been exposed and dismantled. According to investigators, this group was behind 40% of all phone thefts in the UK capital over the past year.
In a statement, the police noted that on September 23, two men aged around 30 were detained in north-east London. They were charged with trafficking stolen phones and remanded in custody.
According to the BBC, the suspects are two Afghan citizens and a 29-year-old man from India. Several devices were found in the suspects' car and around 2,000 phones were found in premises linked to them. Another 30 phones were discovered during searches of 28 homes across London and Hertfordshire.
Additionally, 15 people suspected of street muggings and pickpocketing were arrested. According to the investigation, the group had smuggled up to 40,000 phones out of the UK in a year – mostly iPhones, which were sold abroad at inflated prices.
Commander of the Phone Theft Unit, Andrew Featherstone, called the operation the largest in the history of the Metropolitan Police. He emphasized that the investigation covered all levels of the criminal network – from street robbers to international smuggling channels. He stated that the police are urging manufacturers, including Apple and Samsung, to more actively assist in protecting devices and users.
As Senior Investigating Officer for Operation Echosteep, Mark Gavin, explained, the group members specifically targeted iPhones due to their high liquidity abroad. In the UK, the criminals received up to £300 (about $400) per device, while abroad they could be sold for up to $5,000. The main destination for the sales, he said, was the People's Republic of China, which is not part of the international Central Equipment Identity Register database that allows for blocking stolen gadgets.
The investigation began in December 2024 after police intercepted a shipment of a thousand iPhones at a warehouse near Heathrow Airport, destined for Hong Kong. After examining the evidence, specialists identified the suspects and intercepted new batches of shipments.
Footage released by the police shows suspects being detained in homes and cars with the use of tasers and firearms. Other participants in the operation were tracked by cameras and from a helicopter as they snatched phones from pedestrians on electric bicycles. Some devices were wrapped in aluminum foil to hide them during scanning.
According to the Crime Survey for England and Wales, from March 2024 to March 2025, about 78,000 people in England and Wales were victims of street theft – 153% more than the previous year. This is approximately 200 cases per day.
During additional raids, 11 members of a group targeting vans with new iPhone 17s were detained, along with two suspects in money laundering. From one of them, £40,000 in cash, 10 phones, two iPads, laptops, and a Rolex watch were seized. It was later revealed that he had made over 200 flights between London and Algeria over two years.
According to the UK's National Crime Agency, besides China and Algeria, the main destinations for the export of stolen phones remain Bulgaria, Dubai, Morocco, and Romania. The agency notes that stolen devices are increasingly being used not only for resale but also for stealing their owners' personal data and bank funds.
