Protesters arrested outside NYC Apple Store

Multiple iPhone theft rings are busted in Canada, India, and Cambodia, CBP has embraced Cellebrite, and an on-camera arrest in California is all in this week’s Apple Crime Blotter.

The latest in an occasional AppleInsider series, looking at the world of Apple-related crime.

Protesters arrested outside Fifth Avenue Apple Store

On Black Friday, New York police officers arrested four protesters who were blocking the entrance to the Fifth Avenue Apple Store in Manhattan.

According to The New York Daily News, about 70 protesters were outside the store on the major shopping day, carrying signs with slogans as “think before you buy” and “Israel is killing children.”

Protesters, per the news story, targeted Apple because they “claimed the tech giant benefits from exploitative cobalt mining in the Congo, and also slammed what they called ‘Apple’s ties to ICE and President Trump.”

More than 180 iPhones stolen in Canada

At the end of November, two men were arrested for carrying out what was called a “sophisticated cellphone theft ring” that included the theft of 186 iPhone 16 Pro Max devices from Toronto and Oakville, Ontario.

Insauga reports thieves broke into a T Force Logistics warehouse in December of 2024 and January 2025. The stolen devices were traced to a pair of retail locations, Link It Up in Oakville and Amrit Electronics in Etobicoke.

After warrants were served, law enforcement discovered the iPhones, valued between $250,000 and $450,000, as well as stolen SIM cards, $65,000 in Canadian cash and $4,000 USD, and 16.5 kg of silver bars. There were also “Packages addressed to Bell customers who had been defrauded through overseas scam call centres.”

Both defendants were charged with Trafficking Property Obtained by Crime and Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5,000, while one of them was also charged with Fraud Over $5,000.

Border Patrol embraces Cellebrite, warrants for iCloud

Over the last year, ICE and the Customs and Border Patrol have been making massive orders of tools such as Cellebrite and Grayshift, which are meant to break into locked iPhones.

ICE, in September, even spent $11.1 million on a single order of Cellebrite devices.

According to Forbes, CBP has also made a practice of filing search warrant applications to Apple, to access suspects’ iCloud accounts.

Forbes reported on an April incident in which a car with two women and a man crossed the border into California. After CBP determined the man didn’t have the correct documentation, all three were taken into custody.

CBP used Cellebrite to search three phones belonging to the women, but after “complete mobile device data acquisition of the iPhones were unsuccessful,” they filed for a warrant to search the women’s iCloud accounts.

Stolen MacBook and AirPods lead to on-camera arrest

A man in Irvine, Calif., was arrested in early December after he was accused of stealing a MacBook and AirPods from a condo community.

After officers tracked down the items, they confronted the man who had them and captured the interaction on camera.

The man was arrested for possession of stolen property, possession of drugs, and false impersonation by giving a different name.

Police in Iowa searching for helmet-clad MacBook thief

The Des Moines Police Department in Iowa is looking for a man who they say stole a MacBook from a planned Facebook Marketplace meetup in late October.

Per WHO 13, the man arrived at the meetup on a motorcycle and never removed his helmet, although he identified himself as “Nardo” before departing.

An update on the department’s Facebook page said the motorcycle had been located, although police believe the suspect “sold the motorcycle shortly after the theft.”

AirPods stolen from parked car

A pair of AirPods were stolen from a parked car in St Wulstans Court in the U.K., leading West Mercia Police to ask for witnesses to come forward.

“We are keen to hear from anyone who may have any information relating to the theft of these items or who may have been in the area around the time of the incident and heard or seen anything suspicious,” the police said after the theft, per Worcester News

India iPhone theft ring caught

Four members of an “interstate theft gang,” responsible for stealing 40 high-end smartphones from a concert on December 7, have been arrested by the Delhi Police Crime Branch.

According to Socialnews.xyz, a team from the Crime Branch tracked the theft gang for “nearly 48 hours before intercepting them near Yamuna Vihar Metro Station on December 9.”

Eight iPhones were recovered, along with seven Samsung models, and other phones made by OnePlus, Vivo, Oppo, Redmi, POCO, and Motorola.

The accused kingpin of the gang, “Salman,” admitted to police that the group had “focused on events frequented by young people carrying expensive phones.”

Cambodia theft gang arrested

In other news involving iPhone theft gangs in Asia, a “prolific” gang in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh has been busted.

The Khymer Times reports a section of the Phnom Penh Police, called the Minor Crimes Bureau, investigated and arrested the four suspects for their part in nine cases.

Each theft entailed the taking of one or two iPhones at a time from the capital city. The iPhones were seized and returned to their owners.