London Police Use “Find My” to Catch a Notorious Gang of Smartphone Thieves

Millions of people worldwide lose their phones each year to theft, and the problem is even worse in densely populated major cities like London, the capital of England. Most victims never recover their stolen devices, and in many cases, the phones are smuggled to other countries. However, thanks to the “Find My” tracking feature, London police have managed to take down a prominent gang believed to be responsible for stealing and trafficking 40% of the city’s stolen phones.

The Metropolitan Police said it arrested two men in northeast London on September 23 as part of “Operation Ecostep,” on charges of dealing in stolen electronics. The two men are believed to be of Afghan nationality and were charged along with a 29-year-old Indian man suspected of involvement in organized crime.

The suspects were found in possession of “several devices” at the time of arrest, and officers later discovered around 2,000 additional devices during raids on homes linked to them. Subsequently, police arrested 15 more suspects — including one woman — on charges of theft, pickpocketing, and participation in the criminal gang.

The City of London Police believe the gang smuggled up to 40,000 stolen mobile phones from the UK to China over the past year, representing around 40% of all reported smartphone thefts in London during that period.

Operation Ecostep began in December 2024, when police used Apple’s Find My tool to trace a stolen iPhone to a warehouse near Heathrow Airport. Officers found the phone inside a box containing nearly a thousand devices bound for Hong Kong. Subsequent interceptions of stolen shipments helped identify and arrest the suspects.

The head of the Metropolitan Police’s Mobile Phone Theft Unit said Operation Ecostep was the most significant initiative in the UK to combat phone theft and robbery. He urged companies like Apple and Samsung to do more to protect their customers, noting that many victims had been violently attacked during the thefts or lost priceless photos and videos of deceased loved ones.

Most of the stolen devices were iPhones, which fetch the highest resale prices on black and gray markets. Police believe the thieves made up to £300 ($403) per stolen iPhone, many of which were later sold overseas. Investigations indicate that most buyers were in China, where these phones are in extremely high demand, and oversight of their trade is weak.