Met recovers thousands of stolen items in UK’s largest ever crackdown on organised shoplifting gangs

Officers arrested 32 people and seized thousands of stolen items in the Metropolitan Police’s largest ever targeted crackdown on organised shoplifting gangs in London.

Over two days, officers raided more than 120 shops suspected of buying items stolen from major retailers and reselling them at discounted prices. Hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of items were seized, including branded food, make-up and electrical devices. Nine stores were served with closure notices.

The 32 people were arrested for various offences, including handling stolen goods, drug offences and immigration violations. Most of those arrested have been bailed.

Working alongside major retailers, more than 300 officers from across the Met were involved in Operation Zoridon. They carried out warrants and conducted licensing checks at businesses alongside officials from Trading Standards, the London Fire Brigade and Border Force.

Superintendent Luke Baldock, from the Met and lead officer for Operation Zoridon, said:

"This operation sent a clear message to anyone profiting from stolen goods and contributing to rising prices for Londoners: if you buy or sell stolen items, your licence will be revoked and your premises shut down.

“Shoplifting is not a victimless crime and the gangs involved are organised and have links to drugs and violence. Rogue shopkeepers who trade in stolen goods are funding criminal activity and driving up costs for everyone. They’re keeping thieves in business at the expense of hard-working, law-abiding retailers.

“During the Met’s largest ever operation to tackle shoplifting, we’ve made arrests, seized stolen goods and issued emergency closure orders. We will now need the support of the courts to secure longer closure orders and shut down these illicit shops for good.”

Officers made seven arrests at a mobile phone store in Woolwich suspected of handling stolen goods. Around 2,000 phones, the majority of which were believed to be stolen, were seized for further investigation. Officers discovered a secret room hidden behind a wall panel in the basement that contained a large number of mobile phones and electronic devices. Another secret compartment was discovered containing an estimated £50,000 worth of gaming consoles. Apple confirmed a number of phones, accessories and packaging that were counterfeit.

The Met is prioritising neighbourhood policing, putting more officers in local teams to tackle issues that matter most to Londoners, like shoplifting. Officers are working closely with local business owners across the capital to crack down on the most prolific shoplifters who cause fear to retail workers and have negative impacts on local communities. As a result, we’ve solved 92 per cent more shoplifting cases so far this year.

Operation Zoridon followed months of planning to identify businesses and organised crime groups that were suspected of handling stolen goods. This involved collecting intelligence and conducting surveillance operations.

The Met also used tactics such as SelectaDNA to identify goods stolen from major retailers. Officers would mark commonly stolen items, such as food and alcohol, with a unique synthetic liquid that enabled them to trace the goods back to the original retailers. This would help strengthen the evidence case for officers to bring prosecutions. A dog trained to sniff out SelectaDNA markings also assisted officers as they searched properties.

Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, said:

“Shoplifting has a profound impact on business owners and communities, with organised gangs stealing to order. This major action by the Met has seen raids on more than 100 shops suspected of reselling stolen goods and thousands of pounds worth of items seized.

“Record funding from City Hall is helping the Met build on significant reductions achieved in theft and robbery - both down since the start of the year - with 92 per cent more shoplifting cases solved. But we know we need to do a lot more. This operation sends a message that if you shoplift or trade in stolen goods, you will be brought to justice. We’ll continue working with the Met to tackle the crimes of most concern to Londoners as we build a safer London for everyone.”

Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said:

“Shop theft is a scourge that tears at the fabric of communities.

“Growing up with parents who owned a corner shop, I know first-hand that there is nothing ‘low-level’ about these crimes.

“This government is putting 3,000 more neighbourhood police on our streets to catch these criminals and bring them to justice."

Policing and Crime Minister, Sarah Jones, said:

“For too long shop workers have been devastated by theft and abuse, with prolific offenders stealing at will believing they are above the law.

"This stops now. The government is putting more officers on the streets and arming them with new powers, including a new offence for assaulting a retail worker and scrapping the £200 limit on shop thefts being investigated.

“We want to see operations like this replicated across the country, to bring more of these thieves to justice and restore some much-needed reassurance to communities.”

Association of Convenience Stores Chief Executive, James Lowman, said:

“We welcome this decisive action by the Met Police to close shops selling stolen goods. These businesses fuel retail crime and anti-social behaviour, and blight communities across London.”

“Using licensing and anti-social behaviour powers to shut them down delivers swift and visible results for local communities and responsible retailers. This is a strong example of enforcement that works, and we would like to see other forces across the country follow the Met’s approach.”

Warrants Executed

Officers carried out targeted raids on businesses across London on 14 and 16 October. Examples of the types of arrests and operations included:

• Officers raided a shop in Bromley suspected of handling stolen goods. Four people were arrested and remanded on bail. More than 150 suspected stolen items were seized from the store, including earphones, speakers, LEGO sets and beauty products. Officers also found about £70,000 in cash along with luxury watches at a related address.

• Officers made three arrests at an off-licence in Willesden and seized around£1,500 worth of items believed to have been stolen. Items included Starbucks travel mugs, LEGO building sets, umbrellas from Waterstones, shavers, hair straighteners, designer sunglasses, electronic toothbrushes and branded children’s toys. The store received a closure order from the London Fire Brigade.

• Officers made two arrests at an off-licence in Hanwell – one for immigration offences and the other for handling stolen goods. Items seized included own-brand Lidl products, such as honey, flour, rice and lemon curd. Officers also uncovered six boxes of Nespresso coffee pods.

NOTES TO EDITORS: Videos are available here: https://mps.box.com/s/rnim4a2vb0vz9vwcsz2v1966lfsy9rqy.

Shop 1 in Willesden video shows:

• Officers entering venue and issuing warrant

• Officers searching items

• Officers escorting suspect into police van

Shop 2 in Bromley video shows:

• Officers entering venue and issuing warrant

• SelectaDNA dog sniffing products

• Officers bagging items

• Officers escorting suspect into police van

Shop 3 in Woolwich video shows:

• Officers entering venue and issuing warrant

• Officers prying open door

• Officers discovering suspected stolen goods

• Officers making arrests