Gambiaj.com – (DAKAR, Senegal) – Senegalese authorities have intercepted a consignment of stolen iPhones bound for The Gambia, exposing what appears to be a well-organized cross-border trafficking network of mobile phones stolen in Dakar and resold in neighboring countries.
According to Senegalese media reports, a 26-year-old trader identified as O. Ndiaye, based in Colobane Market in Dakar, was arrested last Thursday by the elite Section de Recherches (SR) of the gendarmerie.
He was apprehended while attempting to ship a carton containing 21 iPhones to The Gambia through a commercial bus service.
Security sources said the operation was launched after a tip-off about a suspicious package destined for Banjul.
Undercover officers monitored the bus terminal until Ndiaye arrived with the package. He reportedly labelled the carton with the initials and phone number of a Gambian recipient before handing it to the bus operator. He was immediately arrested by plainclothes officers.
When the package was opened in the suspect’s presence, 21 iPhones of various models were discovered. Ndiaye told investigators he had bought the phones in Colobane but was unable to identify his suppliers.
Using IMEI numbers in cooperation with mobile operators, investigators managed to trace several of the phones to victims of street robberies in Dakar.
Many of these victims have since identified their stolen devices at the SR office, while others continue to come forward as the investigation unfolds.
Ndiaye, unable to provide credible information about the origin of the phones or the perpetrators of the thefts, was presented to the prosecutor on Monday, 29 September, before the Dakar High Court on charges related to theft and trafficking.
The case highlights a growing and sophisticated regional trade in stolen mobile phones, especially iPhones, between Senegal and countries including The Gambia, Mali, Guinea, and Morocco.
Officials warn that such networks are fuelled by daily street thefts in Dakar and have become lucrative cross-border operations.
Security experts say closer collaboration between Senegalese and Gambian authorities is crucial to dismantling these networks. “This is no longer petty crime. It is a well-coordinated operation that needs joint intelligence and law enforcement responses,” one source familiar with the investigation noted.
