The Metropolitan Police has arrested 42 people and issued closure notices to 11 shops following a major crackdown on businesses suspected of buying and reselling stolen retail goods across London.
Officers visited around 400 shops during the two-week operation, seizing tens of thousands of pounds worth of suspected stolen products, including cosmetics, electrical goods and food.
The crackdown, known as Operation Zoridon, follows months of intelligence gathering between the Met, retailers and Trading Standards to identify businesses suspected of handling stolen stock.
Police said organised shoplifting networks were increasingly stealing products to order, with prolific offenders targeting specific items requested by businesses involved in reselling stolen goods.
Retailers supported the operation by identifying frequently stolen products and marking stock with SelectaDNA, a forensic solution that allows officers to trace recovered items back to individual stores.
Among the largest seizures, officers recovered 300 suspected stolen mobile phones and £15,000 in cash during a raid on a shop in Hounslow. Two men were arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods, while the premises was handed a three-month closure order.
In Brixton, police seized dozens of suspected stolen phones and more than £5,000 in cash, arresting three men on suspicion of handling stolen goods and money laundering.
The operation also targeted car boot sales suspected of facilitating the resale of stolen tools, with officers recovering five pallets of suspected stolen equipment and counterfeit Dyson products in Hounslow.
Met Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes said the crackdown was designed to tackle every stage of the criminal supply chain, from prolific shoplifters through to businesses profiting from stolen goods.
“If you profit from retail crime, you will be arrested,” he warned.
Tesco UK shrink and security director Rachel Bennett welcomed the operation, highlighting the importance of collaboration between retailers and police in tackling crime and protecting store colleagues.
Association of Convenience Stores chief executive Ed Woodall also backed the crackdown, calling for continued action against illicit networks that steal from legitimate retailers and support rogue businesses.
The operation comes as the Met steps up its efforts to tackle retail crime across the capital ahead of the crucial Christmas trading period.
According to the force, shoplifting offences in London fell 3.7 per cent in 2025, equivalent to around 3,500 fewer incidents, while positive outcomes from shoplifting investigations doubled.
The Met said new retail crime reporting technology had also helped improve enforcement, with positive outcomes quadrupling this year in boroughs where the system has been introduced.
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