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Lesson Info

Post Type
Article
Level
Level 2 / A2
Published
Title
UK Police Break Phone Smuggling Gang
Webpage
https://eslnewsstories.com/articles/2025-10-16-uk-police-break-phone-smuggling-gang/

In this lesson:

  • Warm-up Prediction task and general discussion questions.
  • Vocab List Useful words and meanings.
  • Reading Read the main text.
  • Listen and Fill Gaps Listen for missing words.
  • True or False Check understanding.
  • Vocab Match Connect words to meanings.
  • Discussion Questions Open speaking questions for discussion (or writing practice).
  • Answers Answer key for the printed tasks.

Think Ahead: Which detail do you think appears in this crime story?

a) Phones are hidden inside cakes.

b) Phones are sent to another country.

c) Phones are stolen from a police station.

A man on a bicycle grabs a phone from a woman.
A man on a bicycle grabs a phone from a woman.

Ask: (1) What do people usually do on their phones? (2) How can a person keep their phone safe?

VOCAB LIST

International (adj.) ā€” Involving more than one country.
Lucrative (adj.) ā€” Making a lot of money.
Trace (v.) ā€” To follow and find the path of something.
Censorship (n.) ā€” When a government or group blocks some information.
Warehouse (n.) ā€” A large building where goods are stored.
Unusable (adj.) ā€” Unable to be used.
Shipment (n.) ā€” A load of goods that is being sent from one place to another.
Stolen (adj.) ā€” Taken illegally from someone.
Smuggle (v.) ā€” To move goods secretly, often against the law.

Reading

British police say they have stopped an international gang that smuggled thousands of stolen phones from the United Kingdom to China. Detectives think the group moved up to 40,000 phones in just one year.

The case began when a robbery victim used a phone app to trace their missing iPhone last December. "It was actually on Christmas Eve and a victim electronically tracked their stolen iPhone to a warehouse near Heathrow Airport," Detective Inspector Mark Gavin said.

Security staff opened a box and found the phone with another 894 phones. Officers said the shipment was going to Hong Kong. They told border teams and started a bigger investigation.

Police then searched storage units and vans around London. They collected records, bank cards, and more phones. Police now say this group supplied about 40% of the stolen phones in London.

Street thieves were paid up to Ā£300 for each phone, according to the Met Police. Investigators say the phones sell for up to Ā£4,000 in China. The phones can still use the internet, so buyers like them because they can avoid strict censorship rules.

"We're hearing that some criminals are stopping dealing drugs and moving on to the phone business because it's more lucrative," Policing Minister Sarah Jones said. She explained that stolen phones can bring in more money than selling drugs.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan wants phone makers to shut down stolen phones faster so criminals cannot use them again. He wants the industry to design updates that make taken phones unusable.

UK Police Break Phone Smuggling Gang

Level 2 Ā· Checked Source: bbc.com, nytimes.com

Warm-up ā†’ Read & Listen ā†’ Check Understanding ā†’ Language ā†’ Use It

A man on a bicycle grabs a phone from a woman.
A man on a bicycle grabs a phone from a woman.

British police say they have stopped an international gang that smuggled thousands of stolen phones from the United Kingdom to China. Detectives think the group moved up to 40,000 phones in just one year.

The case began when a robbery victim used a phone app to trace their missing iPhone last December. "It was actually on Christmas Eve and a victim electronically tracked their stolen iPhone to a warehouse near Heathrow Airport," Detective Inspector Mark Gavin said.

Security staff opened a box and found the phone with another 894 phones. Officers said the shipment was going to Hong Kong. They told border teams and started a bigger investigation.

Police then searched storage units and vans around London. They collected records, bank cards, and more phones. Police now say this group supplied about 40% of the stolen phones in London.

Street thieves were paid up to Ā£300 for each phone, according to the Met Police. Investigators say the phones sell for up to Ā£4,000 in China. The phones can still use the internet, so buyers like them because they can avoid strict censorship rules.

"We're hearing that some criminals are stopping dealing drugs and moving on to the phone business because it's more lucrative," Policing Minister Sarah Jones said. She explained that stolen phones can bring in more money than selling drugs.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan wants phone makers to shut down stolen phones faster so criminals cannot use them again. He wants the industry to design updates that make taken phones unusable.

Speaker: British Male  Duration: 1:46  Watch on YouTube

Two ways to use this audio:

  • Method 1: Listen for the main idea: what is the article about in one sentence? Listen a second time for more details, then try the Understanding activities below.
  • Method 2: Read the article first to learn the vocabulary and ideas. Then look at the gap-fill sentences to see what to listen for, and listen to fill them in.

Listen and Fill Gaps

Listen to the audio on eslnewsstories.com and complete the gaps below:

British police say they have stopped an (1) gang that smuggled thousands of stolen phones from the United Kingdom to China. Detectives think the group moved up to 40,000 phones in just one year.

The case began when a robbery victim used a phone app to (2) their missing iPhone last December. "It was actually on Christmas Eve and a victim electronically tracked their stolen iPhone to a warehouse near Heathrow Airport," Detective Inspector Mark Gavin said.

Security staff opened a box and found the phone with another 894 phones. Officers said the (3) was going to Hong Kong. They told border teams and started a bigger investigation.

Police then searched storage units and vans around London. They collected records, bank cards, and more phones. Police now say this (4) supplied about 40% of the stolen phones in London.

Street thieves were paid up to Ā£300 for each phone, according to the Met Police. Investigators say the phones sell for up to Ā£4,000 in China. The phones can still use the internet, so buyers like them because they can avoid strict (5) rules.

"We're hearing that some criminals are stopping dealing drugs and moving on to the phone business because it's more lucrative," Policing Minister Sarah Jones said. She explained that stolen phones can bring in more money than selling drugs.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan wants phone makers to shut down stolen phones faster so criminals cannot use them again. He wants the industry to design updates that make taken phones (6) .

True or False

Answer each question by selecting True or False, then click CHECK to see your results.

  • Police believe the gang sent stolen phones to China.
    Detectives say the group smuggled phones from the UK to China.
  • The investigation began after officers found a secret note.
    It started when a victim traced their stolen iPhone to a warehouse.
  • Street thieves received up to Ā£300 for each stolen phone.
    The article states that thieves were paid up to Ā£300 per phone.
  • Sadiq Khan wants phone makers to ignore the theft problem.
    He is urging companies to make stolen phones unusable.

True or False

1. Police believe the gang sent stolen phones to China. TRUEFALSE True

2. The investigation began after officers found a secret note. TRUEFALSE False

3. Street thieves received up to Ā£300 for each stolen phone. TRUEFALSE True

4. Sadiq Khan wants phone makers to ignore the theft problem. TRUEFALSE False

Vocab Match

Loading vocabulary activity...

Vocab Match

Write each vocabulary word next to its matching definition.

1. Tracee) To follow and find the path of something.

2. Warehoused) A large building where goods are stored.

3. Shipmentc) A load of goods that is being sent from one place to another.

4. Smuggleb) To move goods secretly, often against the law.

5. Unusablea) Unable to be used.

a) Unable to be used.

b) To move goods secretly, often against the law.

c) A load of goods that is being sent from one place to another.

d) A large building where goods are stored.

e) To follow and find the path of something.

Discussion Questions

  1. Did anything in this story surprise you?
  2. Are many phones stolen in your country?
  3. Has something been stolen from you? What was it?
  4. How should phone thieves be punished?
  5. Would you like to be a police investigator? Why or why not?
  6. Is there internet censorship in your country? What kinds of things are blocked?
  7. Are phones too expensive? What is the maximum you would pay for a new phone?
  8. What steps would you take after realizing your phone is missing?
  9. What can communities do so young people feel safe and stay out of gangs?
  10. Which vocabulary word from this article was new or interesting for you, and why?

Answers UK Police Break Phone Smuggling Gang / Level 2

Think Ahead: b

Listening: (1) international, (2) trace, (3) shipment, (4) group, (5) censorship, (6) unusable

True or False:

  1. True. Detectives say the group smuggled phones from the UK to China.
  2. False. It started when a victim traced their stolen iPhone to a warehouse.
  3. True. The article states that thieves were paid up to Ā£300 per phone.
  4. False. He is urging companies to make stolen phones unusable.

Vocabulary:

  1. Trace: To follow and find the path of something.
  2. Warehouse: A large building where goods are stored.
  3. Shipment: A load of goods that is being sent from one place to another.
  1. Smuggle: To move goods secretly, often against the law.
  2. Unusable: Unable to be used.

eslnewsstories.com