Key facts
- Three men have been jailed for their involvement in a large-scale mobile phone smuggling operation.
- The operation is believed to be the UK's largest of its kind, with an estimated value of £180 million.
- The network smuggled over 62,000 stolen devices to China in the last year.
- Detectives believe the operation handled nearly half of all phones stolen in London during that period.
- The investigation, codenamed Operation Echosteep, was launched after a box of 1,000 iPhones was found at a warehouse near Heathrow Airport.
- The men used tin foil to wrap phones in an attempt to prevent them from being located.
Three members of what is described as one of the UK's largest mobile phone smuggling networks have admitted their roles in an operation worth £180 million. Amir Muhammad Khadikhel, Ismat Miakhel, and Mansoor Mohammed, all in their thirties and based in London, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to handle stolen goods and participating in criminal activities of an organised crime group. Khadikhel and Miakhel also admitted conspiracy to remove stolen goods. They entered their pleas on the first day of their trial at Southwark Crown Court and were remanded in custody ahead of sentencing next month.
The network is believed to have smuggled more than 62,000 stolen devices to China in the last year, accounting for almost half of all phones stolen in the capital during that period. Detectives codenamed Khadikhel and Miakhel as 'Seagull' and 'Heron' respectively. The operation was uncovered when police found a box containing around 1,000 iPhones at a warehouse near Heathrow Airport, destined for Hong Kong. A member of the public had used the 'Find My Phone' feature to locate their device, leading to the discovery.
Police believe a network of pickpockets stole the phones, selling them to middlemen like Mohammed, who paid up to £760 for each Apple device. Mohammed then passed the phones to Khadikhel and Miakhel, who allegedly packed around 300 devices into weekly consignments sent via couriers such as UPS and DHL. The Metropolitan Police's year-long investigation, Operation Echosteep, involved intercepting further shipments and using forensic evidence to identify those involved. Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley described the operation as 'the biggest counter-phone theft operation in the world.' The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, praised the police's efforts, noting a drop in robberies and thefts in the city this year, but urged the mobile phone industry to make it impossible for stolen phones to be repurposed abroad.