“The New York Police Department arrested 141 people for allegedly selling stolen iPhones and iPads, stepping up an effort to combat robberies of handheld electronic devices,” Adam Satariano reports for Bloomberg.
“Officers made the arrests at convenience stores, newsstands, barber shops and other businesses, the department said in a statement yesterday. The suspects were charged with criminal possession of stolen property after being apprehended for allegedly purchasing the gadgets from undercover police,” Satariano reports. “‘This was a two-prong approach to apprehend both thieves and receivers of stolen property,’ Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said in the statement. ‘Suspects at both ends of the equation are learning the hard way that ‘victims’ and ‘sellers’ may in fact be undercover police officers.'”
Satariano reports, “Of the 141 arrests, 42 were in Brooklyn, 41 in Manhattan, 31 in the Bronx, 21 in Queens and six on Staten Island, the police department said.”
Read more in the full article here.
dunno, seems like selling to the buyers is entrapment, they just need to go after the thieves.
Totally agree.
Nope. If you remove the buyers there’s less market for the thieves. Hence less reason to steal. Get it?
Yes, it does smell of entrapment.
Unless the buyer knows they are buying stolen merchandise, since when is it illegal to buy something at a bargain price… even one that sounds to good to be true? Not everything that sounds “too good to be true” is, in fact, too good to be true.
Are we all to assume that every bargain is the result of theft?
This is somewhat similar to the problem faced in the drug trade. If you target the users without actually reducing demand, then the delivery system still profits. And reducing supply without reducing demand just drives the price up and increases profits for the supplier.
One possible approach for battling the drug trade is to increase availability (decriminalize production and distribution). The product then becomes a relatively low cost/low margin commodity. However, the ready availability of low-cost drugs would have a terrible impact on the users (once again proving that there are no simple solutions).
Fighting crime is very difficult and expensive, as is the cost to society. I wish that I had the answer…
So if someone walks up to you on the street asking if you want to buy a new iPad for $200 the answer should be no.
Unless it comes with a 2 year contract with a wireless carrier.
Oops, that’s the iPhone.
Agreed. In this case go after the thieves. It’s not like we are talking about busting Johns that were cruising for the goods.
A good deal on an iPad could turn an otherwise honest person dishonest.
The police are just trying to send a message out to the public, at the expense of those unfortunate enough to get caught up in their sting.
Although I don’t advocate what the buyers are doing. I’m a bit disgusted by this.
I was just watching a documentary on flee markets selling brand name products at prices lower than Walmart. People should question this as well… but should a person shopping at a flee market get busted for committing a crime?
“The police are just trying to send a message out to the public,…”
What message is that? Don’t buy anything at a bargain price.
And whose message are they sending? Retailers… who want consumers to pay full price?
The buyers are simply buying bargains. What’s so disgusting about that?
“I was just watching a documentary on flee markets selling brand name products at prices lower than Walmart. People should question this as well…”
Why should people question this?
I don’t know what the point of that documentary was, but from your comments I’m presuming a major one was that people (selling brand name products lower than Walmart) were selling stuff they had acquired illegally. I’m sure this assertion was well documented for this particular show, but in the end it’s a generalization and only true for that particular, documented situation.
That is just one way of acquiring product. There are far more legitimate ways to acquire and sell products at a profit at lower prices than Walmart does.
“I don’t know what the point of that documentary was, but from your comments I’m presuming a major one was that people (selling brand name products lower than Walmart) were selling stuff they had acquired illegally.”
That’s exactly what the point was. They also made a comment about eBay being a great way for people to sell hot goods. Often these goods are shoplifted by professionals that steal millions of dollars worth of goods per year.
Another point of the documentary was that you never know what you are going to get. Some of the products were medical. If these products are improperly stored they can be dangerous.
Sure companies can sell lower than Walmart and be legit. I have my own online distribution company and I sell products at prices much lower than Walmart (Auto Detailing Products).
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Unless the police are clearly asking people if they want to purchase “STOLEN” goods. It ridiculous that people should get charged for purchasing stolen goods.
Well, I was mugged and robbed on 11.21 and they took all my cash (having followed me home from the bank) and my new iPhone 4s. They have yet to turn it on or use it, so the trace and remote wipe have yet to work… Finding the thieves is a nice idea, but I doubt it will happen.
Damn dude sorry to hear that!
I have never been robbed or mugged but just in case i pack a pistol 99% of the time. The “original handheld” gadget that i love most.
same here.
Only one time I was possibly about to have any issue, I opened my coat to show my .45
Problem averted.
Thieves are cowards on level ground.
Also the reason the cops go after the people buying the stolen goods, it’s easier to catch and prosecute/fine those people.
encouraging people to commit crime then arresting them
thats just evil
As I understand it, the only case of the metric system being embraced in America is – 9mm
From another site with this story. The police told the fence/buyer that they had stolen the iPod/iPhone/iPad that they were selling to them. They where going after fences willing to buy stolen goods. They where targeting folks suspected in dealing in stolen goods. If what read on the other Mac website (I think it was MacRumors.com) is accurate then entrapment was not an issue.
games for ipad
http://ipad-euro.com
thanks