Scotland Yard has praised a 'brilliant' Daily Mail investigation after three members of a phone smuggling network admitted their role in a £180 million trafficking operation. The gang was responsible for nearly half of all phones stolen in London at the peak of their activities, sending thousands of devices to a high-rise block in Hong Kong that was infiltrated by Mail reporters in July last year.
How the Operation Unfolded
This newspaper traced stolen phones from the streets of central London through suburban British warehouses before they reached international markets in Dubai, Hong Kong, and ultimately China. This week, Amir Muhammad Khadikhel, Ismat Miakhel, and Mansoor Mohammed—all London-based and in their thirties—pleaded guilty to smuggling more than 62,000 stolen devices to China over the past year. Their supply chains followed a pattern remarkably similar to those uncovered by the Mail.
Detectives believe a vast network of pickpockets, including Bulgarian girls and young women operating under a 'Fagin'-type boss, stole mobiles from unsuspecting members of the public. These were then sold to around 50 middlemen, such as Mohammed. Police said he paid up to £760 per phone—all Apple devices—and wrapped them in tin foil in a misguided attempt to prevent tracking. He then passed the bundles to Khadikhel and Miakhel, the supposed brains of the operation, who packed around 300 devices per consignment and dispatched them via couriers like UPS and DHL.
Police Investigation and Arrests
The racket was uncovered when detectives found a box containing around 1,000 iPhones being shipped to Hong Kong at a warehouse near Heathrow Airport, after a member of the public used the Find My Phone feature to locate their device. Specialist detectives intercepted further shipments and used forensics on packages to identify those involved. The Metropolitan Police said the convictions were the result of a year-long investigation into the UK's largest mobile phone smuggling networks.
Commander Andy Featherstone, the Met's lead for tackling mobile phone theft, praised the Mail's 'brilliant' investigation, which 'identified a premises in Hong Kong' that the gang was using. The Mail's attention was drawn to the warehouse after tracking a phone stolen from an estate agent on London's Baker Street to a commercial district in Hong Kong. Reporters found online messaging boards flooded with people from the UK and US posting screenshots of their Find My App, showing stolen phones ending up at a 31-storey building in the area. Posing as traders, they discovered dozens of businesses selling thousands of used phones of varying origin, including the UK.
Hong Kong's position as a global trade hub, combined with its proximity to China, has made it a key destination for stolen phones. Around 7% of phones stolen in London end up in Hong Kong, according to police data. Many appear to have passed through the hands of the smuggling gang convicted this week.
Gang Members and Sentencing
Afghan nationals Khadikhel, 35, of Wanstead, and Miakhel, 33, from Walthamstow, along with Indian national Mohammed, 30, of Wood Green, admitted conspiracy to handle stolen goods and participating in criminal activities of an organised crime group. Asylum seeker Khadikhel and Miakhel, who has a British passport, also admitted conspiracy to remove stolen goods. They will be sentenced next month.
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley hailed the coordinated raids that halted the operation as 'the biggest counter-phone theft operation in the world.' Dramatic footage showed Miakhel and Khadikhel being dragged from their car by police while driving through north London in September last year. The vehicle was a people carrier converted into a mobile 'chop shop' used to disable and transport stolen devices. Police caught them with a bundle of devices wrapped in foil to block tracking signals.
Commander Featherstone added: 'We are using every tool available, including data-led intelligence, specialist investigative teams, drones, high-powered e-bikes, live facial recognition, and more officers on the beat to tackle phone thieves.'
