Thieves cut through adjacent shop wall to steal $500K worth of iPhones from Apple Store

[Daniel Sims]

WTF?! iPhones remain a hot target for thieves. This latest incident shows how valuable Apple's storerooms can be, involving a sophisticated operation that impacted not only the Apple Store but a neighboring business.

Regional manager Eric Marks didn't know what to think upon receiving a call informing him that burglars broke into the Seattle Coffee Gear at Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood, Washington. The shop's clientele is so specific that he never imagined anyone would try to rob it. A talk with the police revealed that they didn't – they broke into it to reach the adjacent Apple Store.

Local Seattle news reported this week that thieves broke into an Apple Store to steal 436 iPhones worth $500,000 by drilling through a wall from an adjacent store. The evidence suggests a significant degree of planning.

Seattle Coffee Gear CEO Mike Atkinson tweeted a photo of the shop's trashed bathroom with a small but clean hole in the wall. Multiple aspects of the situation suggest the thieves had extensive foreknowledge of the layouts of both businesses.

Good morning Twitter fans! Yesterday was a weird day...

1. Two men broke into one of our retail locations. Why? To cut a hole in our bathroom wall to access the Apple Store next door and steal $500k worth of IphonesðÂÂÂ

2. Later that night on the way to the grocery store my wife… pic.twitter.com/DcUld6ULEd

— Mike Atkinson (@coffeemikeatkin) April 4, 2023

The perpetrators broke in after operating hours and managed to drill the hole without hitting any pipes. Publicly available maps reveal the café sits right next to the Apple Store, but Marks said he never suspected the stores were connected. Nonetheless, knowing precisely where to drill in the bathroom to reach the Apple Store's storeroom would have required precision.

Police have surveillance footage of the robbery but haven't yet released it pending an investigation. Marks said the coffee shop only suffered around $1,500 in damages, about the cost of a 1TB iPhone 14 Pro.

The Cupertino giant has yet to comment on the incident. The company is known to be able to track and deactivate the stolen iPhones, making the entire robbery, as elaborate as it was, pointless.

Apple's flagship Amsterdam store suffered a particularly violent armed robbery last February. A man took hostages inside the store, and his escape was foiled when the police hit him with a car.

Even outside Apple Stores, people have tried to illicitly profit from mass quantities of iPhones. Smugglers frequently get caught trying to sneak the devices and other hardware into mainland China through ports in Hong Kong and Macau to avoid import duties and exploit regional price differences, often by strapping them to their bodies under their clothes.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/98239-thieves-cut-through-adjacent-shop-wall-steal-500k.html

 

[ScottSoapbox]

You are vastly overstating the “precision” required to make a small hole in a wall without hitting pipes.

Pro tip: don’t make the hole right behind a sink or toilet.

 

[VitalyT]

$500k, huh? Did you mean street value?

 

[m3diapers]

As far as I know, theft is not a crime in California.

 

[NintPlayBox]

As far as I know, theft is not a crime in California.

Well that's like saying school mass shootings are not a crime in the southern states.

 

[RudyBob]

If we saw it in a movie and we liked the cast we would cheer. "Hell or High Water"

 

[Dimitrios]

The sequel to the ( ITALIAN JOB ) starring Mark Wahlberg coming to APPLE TV on Xmas.

 

[brucek]

Isn't there more physical security for the inventory like a safe or cage? Especially the highest density of size-to-value items like top-end iphones?

 

[tellmewhy]

The way of thinking of these thieves is the hope of humanity. Nothing extraordinary ever came from doing something ordinary or safe.
Of course that doesn't mean the theft of physical items is not unjust(the company could go bankrupt after such a loss). But their planning and courage to take the risk is outstanding.

 

[learninmypc]

Gosh, not far from me APPLE

 

[trieste1s]

The way of thinking of these thieves is the hope of humanity. Nothing extraordinary ever came from doing something ordinary or safe.
Of course that doesn't mean the theft of physical items is not unjust(the company could go bankrupt after such a loss). But their planning and courage to take the risk is outstanding.

Actually, raising a godly family with emotionally well-adjusted, law-abiding, society-contributing kids is something extraordinary that arises from ordinary effort, but what do I know, right?

 

[amghwk]

With all things aside, I really respect these burglars. The leader shoud be commended for a well executed plan. And teammates should be commended for the coordinated co-operation.

And most importantly they didn't harm anyone physically.

If only they distributed these phones to underprivileged people, these Robin Hood family members will be deeply admired.

It's time to destroy monopoly and greed.

 

[daffy duck]

So if this was an Australian store that would represent about 100 Pro Max phones,

 

[BuckarooBonzaii]

You would see this scenario in so many movies but I guess it really did happen. I remembered a long time ago a small Country was fighting their opposition and won. When the commander was asked how did they win, he said by watching American movies. I wished I saved that article as it was a very small paragraph.

 

[Hexic]

With all things aside, I really respect these burglars. The leader shoud be commended for a well executed plan. And teammates should be commended for the coordinated co-operation.

And most importantly they didn't harm anyone physically.

If only they distributed these phones to underprivileged people, these Robin Hood family members will be deeply admired.

It's time to destroy monopoly and greed.

Easy there, Bernie.

 

[PEnnn]

As far as I know, theft is not a crime in California.

" burglars broke into the Seattle Coffee Gear at Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood, Washington."

That was not in California.

Reading and comprehension are an asset, you know. You should give it a try sometime.

 

[PEnnn]

With all things aside, I really respect these burglars. The leader shoud be commended for a well executed plan. And teammates should be commended for the coordinated co-operation.

And most importantly they didn't harm anyone physically.

If only they distributed these phones to underprivileged people, these Robin Hood family members will be deeply admired.

It's time to destroy monopoly and greed.

When you think there is still hope for a civilized society....then you come across such drivel.

Let me guess, if they were Android phones, you'd be less chivalrous in your comments.

 

[amghwk]

When you think there is still hope for a civilized society....then you come across such drivel.

Let me guess, if they were Android phones, you'd be less chivalrous in your comments.

Nothing about Android vs Apple here.

As you have mentioned, "Reading and comprehension are an asset, you know. You should give it a try sometime."

 

[return]

Good.

 

[Tantor]

As far as I know, theft is not a crime in California.

Very interesting comment. Apple is based in Cupertino, California.

Theft is still regarded as a crime in California. What they did was to reclassify shoplifting under $950 value as a misdemeanor. Misdemeanors are definitely crimes, typically with a maximum sentence of 1 year. So, although it's less than a felony, the prosecutor can definitely make it painful if they want.

But why would California do such a thing? The big corporations including Apple support the new California theft laws. They must have done a cost/benefit analysis and determined that going easy on shoplifting is less costly than pursuing prosecution.

Laws are almost always written to support big business. Shoplifting costs them nothing. They pass that cost on to the regular folk who follow the laws.

We may see similar changes coming to Washington State laws. Under the present 'woke' leftist regime, everything is being re-evaluated.

 

[m3diapers]

Very interesting comment. Apple is based in Cupertino, California.

Theft is still regarded as a crime in California. What they did was to reclassify shoplifting under $950 value as a misdemeanor. Misdemeanors are definitely crimes, typically with a maximum sentence of 1 year. So, although it's less than a felony, the prosecutor can definitely make it painful if they want.

But why would California do such a thing? The big corporations including Apple support the new California theft laws. They must have done a cost/benefit analysis and determined that going easy on shoplifting is less costly than pursuing prosecution.

Laws are almost always written to support big business. Shoplifting costs them nothing. They pass that cost on to the regular folk who follow the laws.

We may see similar changes coming to Washington State laws. Under the present 'woke' leftist regime, everything is being re-evaluated.

Law without enforcement is like a toothless tiger. I had two vehicles got broken into in 2020 and the LAPD told me nothing they could/would do, and redirected me to their designated website to generate police reports for insurance claims. I still think it's wrong to steal but wouldn't know how I will feel after 20 years of this bs.
The big corporations support this kind of law because most people in California still pay for products. Once stealing becomes a lifestyle, they will force lawmakers to come up with something to protect their interests.

 

[BobHome]

As far as I know, theft is not a crime in California.

Except the theft was in Washington state.