Metropolitan Police detectives tackling phone thefts in London uncovered one of the largest international mobile phone smuggling networks. Responsible for trafficking up to 40,000 stolen mobile phones from the UK to China in 2024 and 2025, the haul is believed to account for around 40 per cent of all phones stolen in London during that period. This film reveals the incredible scale and expertise of our covert policing investigation - codenamed Operation Echosteep – that dismantled a major organised crime group and results in the conviction of three key players at the top of the phone theft pyramid. In this exclusive mini-documentary featuring interviews with officers, we go inside a policing operation that dismantled a suspected major organised crime group at the top of the phone theft pyramid. This investigation uncovered two key offenders suspected of buying thousands of stolen phones from handlers and exporting them overseas. Wrapped in tinfoil to try and avoid detection, these devices were trafficked abroad and sold on the black market for $4,000 - $5,000 each - after being purchased from street thieves for just a few hundred pounds. Following an investigation lasting nearly a year, officers were able to follow the network, and expose its operations. Watch the body-worn video of the arrests, warrants executed across London, and thousands of phones recovered, as this documentary uncovers the Met’s fight back against phone theft - arresting suspected criminals at every level, from street snatchers to international exporters. Watch the full story of how organised crime is being disrupted - and how the Met is working to return stolen devices to their rightful owners, protecting Londoners and preventing crime from continuing. #PhoneTheft #OrganisedCrime #MetPolice #TrueCrime #MiniDocumentary #London