Stolen UK mobiles resold in 46 countries

Mobile phones stolen in Britain are being resold in more than 40 countries in a trade worth millions, a police investigation has discovered.

A study of more than 1000 mobiles stolen in Britain revealed they ended up in at least 46 different countries, including Iraq, Peru, Australia, Dubai, China and Jamaica.

Gangs use a network of second-hand shops and criminals to collect tens of thousands of mobiles stolen in street muggings and house break-ins, which are then taken abroad and sold.

Handsets are relatively cheap in Britain, with expensive call charges, whereas abroad they are unsubsidised by the phone companies and can cost hundreds of pounds.

A stolen video mobile worth £30-40 ($100) to a criminal in the UK could be worth 200 abroad.

The National Mobile Phone Crime Unit examined details of about 2000 of the 700,000 mobiles reported stolen every year in the UK. Just over half were barred by networks, rendering them useless in Britain.

But because UK mobiles operate on an international frequency, the barred handsets can be used outside the country with a new SIM card.

Police have also intercepted criminals at airports and ports trying to smuggle out suitcases of mobiles.

Unit Superintendent Eddie Thomson, said: "This study provides a snapshot of what is happening. It is all part of an organised criminal network worth millions of pounds.

"Every town and city will have a retailer selling stolen phones, many of which are smuggled out of the country and sold for big profits.

"In Iraq a new phone can cost £500, so a briefcase of stolen mobiles can be worth a lot of money."

The theft of mobile phones is partly to blame for a rise in muggings, with half of all street crime involving the theft of a handset.

- INDEPENDENT