Apple Store theft rings face enhanced penalties in California; sugar replaces iPhone in fraud scheme

In November 2024, California voters passed Proposition 36, which reinstates some felonies for retail theft, following a series of high-profile robberies at Apple Stores in the state. Elsewhere, an Apple Store in Valencia, Spain was hit by burglars who made off with over 100 devices; a Scottish man attempted to defraud a phone shop by replacing an iPhone with sugar; nearly 1,700 iPhones were stolen from a government agency in Connecticut; and police tracked down suspects in Texas when an AirPod signal led them to drugs and firearms.