A gang dedicated to unlocking stolen Apple devices abroad and smuggling spare parts was dismantled by agents of the City Police. The four members of this criminal group, two Argentinians, one Paraguayan, and one Venezuelan, were arrested and placed at the disposal of the Justice, charged with violations of Law 25.891.
After four simultaneous raids in the Federal Capital and the province of Buenos Aires, more than 160 mobile phones and cutting-edge technological tools were seized. The investigation began with cyber prevention tasks carried out by the Division of Complex Technological Crimes, which detected posts on social media offering iPhone unlocking services.
"This illegal service was carried out by a criminal organization that used advanced technological tools and iCloud 'bypass' techniques to unlock stolen phones abroad, particularly in Brazil and Chile, as they are not reported in our country to ENACOM and therefore are not on the negative list," police sources stated.
During the investigations, it was established that devices that could not be unlocked were dismantled, and their parts were sold at different points or smuggled to countries with lax regulations regarding IMEI blacklists. This maneuver was detected in businesses and clandestine laboratories located in various parts of CABA and the Buenos Aires metropolitan area.
With the gathered evidence, the Federal Court No. 1 of Morón issued search warrants, through exhortations with other relevant courts. During the operations, completely equipped clandestine laboratories for committing the investigated crimes were discovered. Among the seized items were 162 phones in violation, 21 devices reported stolen in Brazil, Chile, and Argentina, as well as a large inventory of tools and sophisticated equipment used by the organization.
Among the seized tools were special screwdrivers for mobile devices, "Flux" syringes for soldering, a pistol soldering iron, and other instruments related to the repair and manipulation of electronic devices. The detention of the members of this gang represents a significant blow against the illegal trade of mobile devices and spare parts, as well as the smuggling of technology in the region.
