Three jailed 25 years over 40,000 stolen phones smuggled from UK to China

Three men have been sentenced to a combined 25 years in prison for handling stolen mobile phones after a Metropolitan Police investigation uncovered a major international phone-smuggling network.

The men were linked to the trafficking of up to 40,000 stolen mobile phones from the UK to China in 2024 and 2025, with the devices believed to account for about 40 per cent of all phones stolen in London during the period.

The sentences followed a year-long investigation, Operation Echosteep, which began after police discovered a shipment containing about 1,000 iPhones at a warehouse near Heathrow Airport in December 2024.

Investigators found that almost all the phones had been stolen, prompting specialist detectives to trace the wider supply chain linking street-level thieves in London to international handlers and exporters.

At Southwark Crown Court on Friday, September 25, Amir Muhammad Khadikhel, 35, was sentenced to nine-and-a-half years, while Ismat Miakhel, 33, received nine years. Mansoor Mohammed, 30, was jailed for six-and-a-half years.

Khadikhel and Miakhel were convicted of conspiracy to receive stolen mobile phones, conspiracy to transfer or export stolen phones and participating in the activities of an organised crime group.

Mohammed was convicted of conspiracy to receive stolen mobile phones and participating in the activities of an organised crime group.

The investigation intensified after officers intercepted further shipments and used forensic evidence recovered from packages to identify those involved in the operation.

Police arrested Khadikhel and Miakhel in north-east London on September 23, 2025. Several hundred phones were recovered from their vehicle, while another 2,000 devices were seized from properties linked to them, according to the Metropolitan Police.

Commander Andy Featherstone, the Met’s lead for tackling mobile phone theft, said the sentences demonstrated that police would continue pursuing those involved in stealing, handling and exporting stolen devices.

He said the investigation was the result of officers painstakingly tracing the gang’s activities and building evidence that led to the convictions.

The Metropolitan Police said phone theft and robbery offences have fallen by a fifth across London this year, representing more than 9,000 fewer victims. In Westminster, one of London’s busiest tourist areas, the offences have dropped by almost 50 per cent.

The force said it was using intelligence-led policing, drones, high-powered e-bikes, live facial recognition and specialist teams to target areas where phone thieves operate.

The case highlights the international dimension of London’s mobile phone theft problem, with stolen devices moving from street-level criminal activity in the UK into an organised export network supplying overseas markets.