London gang jailed for 25 years over 40,000-device phone smuggling ring
Three men were sentenced to a combined 25 years in prison for running what the Metropolitan Police calls the UK's largest mobile phone smuggling network. The operation, known as Operation Echosteep, began after a victim tracked a stolen device to a Heathrow warehouse in late 2024. Police subsequently seized over 10,000 phones and arrested 14 individuals, claiming the network was responsible for 40% of all phone thefts in London during 2024 and 2025.