In a landmark crackdown on organised shoplifting, the Metropolitan Police have dismantled a criminal operation in south-west London—including several shops in Wandsworth—recovering £150,000 worth of stolen goods.
The breakthrough was made possible by the use of synthetic DNA technology, SelectaDNA, which allowed officers to trace stolen items directly back to their point of origin.
The operation, codenamed Operation Zoridon, followed months of work by the Met’s neighbourhood policing teams and involved coordinated raids on 9 April across eight off-licences and newsagents in Wandsworth, Tooting, Mitcham, and Wimbledon. Shops on Balham High Road and Tooting High Street were among those searched. Officers also searched a residential property in Cheam and a barber shop in Tooting.
What made this operation different was the use of SelectaDNA—a forensic marking solution combining a unique synthetic DNA code with microdot technology. Officers marked 5,000 commonly stolen items, including alcohol and chocolates, before placing them in stores. When stolen goods resurfaced in the raided shops, the fluorescent DNA tags proved their origin and provided critical evidence to link suspects to specific thefts.
Each SelectaDNA marker is invisible to the naked eye but glows under ultraviolet light, making it easy to detect during inspections. The DNA sequence and embedded microdots are unique to each item, allowing law enforcement to match stolen property with the store it was taken from. Not only does this increase the chance of recovery and successful prosecution, it also acts as a deterrent—marked items are harder to sell on the black market.
Sergeant James Burke of the Met’s neighbourhood team in south-west London said the operation sends a strong message to organised shoplifters.
“Shoplifting pushes up prices for customers and often results in retail workers being verbally and physically abused. It also funds the drug trade and contributes to anti-social behaviour and violence.”
In total, 15 people were arrested—ten men aged between 23 and 64, and three women aged between 39 and 45, all suspected of handling stolen goods. Two additional men were arrested separately on 17 April. All have been released on bail pending further investigation.
The Met says the success of this operation shows the value of new technology in frontline policing. Officers are urging anyone with information about retail theft or suspicious sales to contact the South West Basic Command Unit via 101 and quote Operation Zoridon.
For more information about SelectaDNA, visit www.selectadna.co.uk.
