Largest-ever crackdown on shoplifting gangs sees thousands of items recovered by Met Police

Met Police officers raided more than 120 shops across London, suspected of buying stolen goods and reselling them at discounted prices.

Of the 32 people arrested as part of the operation, offences ranged from handling stolen goods, drug offences and immigration violations. Most of those arrested have been bailed.

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Branded food, make-up and electricals were among the hundreds of thousands of items recovered in 'Operation Zoridon'.

As a result, nine shops have now been hit with closure notices.

The major move saw more than 300 officers involved - including through carrying out warrants and conducting licensing checks alongside 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.”

The Met used SelectaDNA marking to identify stolen goods from major retailers.

The modern technique sees certain items daubed with a unique synthetic liquid that allows products to be traced using trained dogs when searching premises.

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."

Woolwich

A mobile phone shop in Woolwich suspected of handling stolen goods saw around 2,000 devices seized for further investigation.

During the raid, officers found a secret room hidden behind a wall panel in the basement containing a vast trove of electronic devices.

Another secret compartment was also found to contain £50,000 worth of gaming consoles.

The shop also was found to have counterfeit Apple phones, accessories and packaging on sale.

Bromley

As part of the operation, a shop in Bromley was raided and more than 150 suspected stolen items were seized.

The haul included earphones, speakers, LEGO sets and beauty products.

A search of a related address also saw officers find £70,000 in cash and luxury watches.

Willesden

Three arrests were made at an off-license in Willesden where around £1,500 worth of suspected stolen goods were seized.

Starbucks travel mugs, LEGO sets, Waterstones umbrellas, shavers, designer sunglasses and branded toys were found at the north London shop.

It has now been hit with a closure order.

Hanwell

Two further arrests came after a raid at an off-license in Hanwell.

One arrest came for immigration offences and another 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.