Police have arrested five men as part of an investigation into phone robberies in Southwark and across South London.
Met officers raided an address and seized hundreds of stolen mobile phones in Brockley on Wednesday, January 3.
Five men aged between 20 and 50 were arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods.
The arrests follow a lengthy investigation that has seen a police crackdown on people suspected of handling phones stolen across Lewisham, Greenwich and Southwark.
During the search of the property, officers found multiple bags containing hundreds of phones, many of which were packaged in foil bricks.
Officers working around the clock have already identified that some of these phones have been stolen in recent robberies and thefts across the city.
As officers continue to work on this investigation over the coming days and weeks, police anticipate that this will be the case for the overwhelming majority.
Detective Constable Callen Fahey, from the South East Command Unit, said: “Yesterday’s arrests will play a significant role in disrupting mobile phone robbery and theft in south London, and keeping our communities safe.
“Our decisive action sends a clear message that we will not tolerate this kind of criminality – which can have a long-lasting impact on victims – and those responsible will be caught.
“We will continue to target criminals and our officers remain committed to tackling robbery and violent crime in our city.”
Many of the seized phones have been tracked to other countries, including China, Hong Kong and Algeria.
Investigating officers believe that some of these phones may belong to students or visiting tourists.
https://southwarknews.co.uk/area/southwark/five-men-arrested-after-investigation-into-phone-robberies-across-southwark-and-south-london/
