London police recover huge £50,000 haul of stolen bikes

Police in London have recovered a huge £50,000 haul of stolen bikes in the capital, as part of major crackdown.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police Taskforce shared a picture of a massive stash of stolen machines, which they are actively trying to return to their owners. 

During the operation, named ‘Operation Asanfona,’  police also uncovered an eye-watering stash of cash and two dangerous weapons in Bow, East London, as two men were arrested for a variety of offences, including money laundering, theft, and weapon offences. 

A statement from the Taskforce, posted on Twitter, said: “Today, officers from #TSG #U35 deployed on Operation Asanfona.

"We recovered over £50,000 of stolen pedal cycles that were being sold illegally.

"So far we have reunited six with their owners, some worth up to £6,500,  and are actively seeking the others. 

“Searches of a linked address in Bow, recovered these two nasty weapons, and a huge amount of cash.

“Two males were arrested for a variety of offences, including money laundering, theft and weapons offences, and taken to a local police station for questioning. 

“A huge amount of work has gone into this joint operation, we recognise the impact that this type of criminality has on the community.”  

Officers also encourage cyclists to register their bikes via Immobilise, a property register that helps police reunite victims with their stolen goods if they’re recovered. 

Earlier this month in an unrelated offence, seven men were jailed for stealing bikes worth £70,000 from a Rutland Cycling store in Cambridgeshire.

Cambridge Constabulary police officers arrived at the Rutland Cycling shop in Grafham Water within six minutes of receiving a 999 call in August this year. 

Officers then pursued a Volkswagen Crafter van used to steal 23 bikes worth £70,000, before catching the thieves as they attempted to escape on foot. The police also found wrenches and an angle grinder in the van, used to break through the shop's roller shutters at 2.50am on August 2. 

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The occupants of a black Skoda Yeti were also arrested shortly afterwards, which had crashed nearby the Rutland Cycling shop.