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Met Raids 120 London Shops in Biggest Crackdown on Organised Shoplifting

The force is seeking longer court closures following raids that built cases with forensic tracing.

Overview

  • Operation Zoridon deployed more than 300 officers for two days of coordinated raids after months of intelligence work targeting shops reselling goods stolen from major retailers.
  • Police arrested 32 suspects for handling stolen goods, drug offences and immigration violations, with most later bailed as investigations continue.
  • Seizures ran to thousands of items worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, including about 2,000 phones from a Woolwich store, secret stashes of electronics and gaming consoles, and Apple-confirmed counterfeits.
  • Nine premises received closure notices as multi‑agency teams with Trading Standards, the London Fire Brigade and Border Force executed warrants and licensing checks.
  • Investigators used SelectaDNA marking and a trained detection dog to link stock to source retailers, while senior officials urged national replication and court support for longer closure orders.