Thousands of pounds of goods from West End shops has been recovered from a warehouse of an organised crime group processing millions of stolen items.
Some £56,000 of Ultrasun sun lotion and 1,000 jars of Neal’s Yard frankincense cream was among a massive haul discovered at a premises in Romford, east London.
The high-value items worth £500,000 were linked to a litany of London stores including Apple, Holland & Barrett, Boots and Waitrose.
Some £9,000 in cash was also discovered at the address, as well as discarded tags and security boxes.
Several deliveries were continuing to arrive during the officers’ raid, which took place on Tuesday, July 7 following intelligence indicating that couriers were bringing stolen goods to the site.
A 34-year-old man connected with the illegal operation was arrested today on suspicion of handling stolen goods. He is also believed to have stolen items through online marketplaces.
While many shoplifting offences are petty crimes by individuals, an increasing number are coordinated by large gangs looking to profit from nationwide retail theft campaigns.
Superintendent Natasha Evans said: ‘This investigation demonstrates that we are not only targeting prolific offenders who commit thefts, but also those who handle and profit from stolen goods, helping to drive this cycle of criminality.
‘Organised retail crime has a significant impact on businesses, retail workers and local communities. That is why it is encouraging to see shoplifting across London fall by 3.7 per cent last year – around 3,500 fewer offences.
‘Where criminality does remain, both thieves and those involved in handling stolen goods should be in no doubt that they will not be allowed to operate with impunity. We will continue to pursue offenders, disrupt organised criminal networks and bring those responsible to justice.’
A total of 32 arrests were made last year and thousands of goods recovered in 120 raids by Met Police as part of an ongoing crackdown on organised retail crime.
Despite a one per cent decline in cases, a total of 509,566 shoplifting offences were recorded in 2025 across England and Wales, according to the Office of National Statistics.
The true figure is likely to be far higher, with most cases not reported to police. The British Retail Consortium estimated some 5.5 million instances of shoplifting took place in the same period, costing retailers as much as £400million.