Police: Cell phones stolen from Gwinnett going overseas - DC Breaking Local News Weather Sports FOX 5 WTTG

Police believe cell phones stolen from Gwinnett County stores are ending up overseas. Detectives are now trying to crack the international phone trafficking ring.

Gwinnett County Police said that three masked men walked into the back entrance of a Lilburn T-Mobile store on Stone Mountain Highway and held an employee at gunpoint.

"They took 90 new model cell phones. Specifically these were the newest Samsung Galaxy cell phones, and they loaded them into garbage bags," said Cpl. Jake Smith of the Gwinnett County Police Department.
 
Investigators say it only took two minutes to carry out the phones.  Police believe the cell phones are sent overseas.

"There's a series of middle men, or fences, who are taking these phones and putting them in the hands of someone else, who is in turn sending them overseas. We believe they are leaving the country, probably in bulk, and being sent overseas, possibly to the Middle East," said Smith.

Police say they've arrested one of the three suspects, Anuterio Daniel but are still seeking Andrew Hendricks and a third suspect.

"The third suspect we only know as T, the letter T which is just his street name," said Smith. "If they're not stopped, they'll continue. And as we see often in these types of crimes, the violence will escalate."

Investigators say these phone bandits hit a second store in Morrow about a week after the robbery in Lilburn. Police say the thieves had help from a fourth person in that robbery.

Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477).