What began with a single stolen mobile phone, found within a sealed parcel at a warehouse near Heathrow Airport, has culminated in the dismantling of what detectives believe to be the United Kingdom's largest phone smuggling network. The initial discovery occurred when a victim, whose phone had been stolen just before Christmas 2024, alerted DHL. The device was still active and ringing inside the package.
Upon investigating the call, police found over 800 stolen devices, packaged in batches of five and housed in nine boxes, some wrapped in foil to block tracking signals. All were destined for shipment to Hong Kong. This led to the launch of a major inquiry, codenamed Operation Echosteep, involving detectives specializing in armed robbery and drug smuggling.
Further interceptions and forensic analysis of packages pointed to two individuals, who were then placed under surveillance. In September 2025, police stopped a car and arrested Amir Muhammad Khadikhel and Ismat Miakhel. The vehicle contained numerous phones, some wrapped in foil, and both men were found with SIM card removal tools. Approximately 2,000 more devices were discovered at properties linked to them.
Southwark Crown Court heard that a shop, Roshan Fruit and Nuts on Lea Bridge Road in London, served as a storage location. Police uncovered a trapdoor leading to a basement where boxes labeled as containing dried goods concealed packages of phones wrapped in foil, alongside £44,665 in cash. In another property, stolen phones were found stored inside a microwave.
Prosecutor Karen Robinson KC stated that Khadikhel and Miakhel played a