The Metropolitan Police have arrested 42 people and seized up to £100,000 in suspected stolen goods during a two-week operation targeting rogue shops and car boot sales across London.
Officers raided 400 shops suspected of selling stolen items, including iPhones, cosmetics, and food, as part of Operation Zoridon. The crackdown also extended to car boot sales, which have emerged as a market for stolen goods, with some businesses allegedly buying stolen items from shoplifters or phone thieves.
Raids and Seizures
During the operation, closure orders were issued for 11 shops. In one phone store in Hounslow, West London, police seized 300 phones and £15,000 in cash. Other items recovered included drugs, stolen passports and IDs, and a machete.
The Met coordinated the raids alongside trading standards officers and legitimate retailers, who were frustrated by losing business to those selling stolen goods at lower prices. Prolific shoplifters have been stealing to order from major high street retailers, targeting specific products requested by those buying and reselling stolen goods. These 'shopping lists' help fuel the organised criminal supply chain, according to the Met.
Police Response
Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes, who joined a raid on a phone shop in Brixton, said: 'Honest retailers have been clear that they want action against the minority of rogue businesses that fuel retail crime, undercut legitimate traders and damage confidence in our high streets.'
'This Met operation has done exactly that, targeting those who create a market for stolen goods and profit from criminality,' Jukes added.
Car Boot Sales Targeted
The operation also targeted car boot sales suspected of being used to sell stolen tools. Activity in Hounslow led to three arrests, with officers seizing five pallets of suspected stolen tools as well as counterfeit Dyson products. The Met has issued warning notices to car boot sale organisers, saying they face prosecution if they knowingly allow the sale of stolen goods.
Across London in 2025, shoplifting fell by 3.7 per cent, around 3,500 fewer offences, while positive outcomes for shoplifting investigations doubled, according to police figures.
