My info on IMEI blacklisting is probably out of date, but it used to be that different regions operated their own lists (since phones were normally sold for a specific region).
That meant that stolen phones would often just get shipped abroad, even with a bar in place for the UK.
Even if they’re blocked I think that only applies to certain countries too. So they likely just get sent abroad and used there!
My info on IMEI blacklisting is probably out of date, but it used to be that different regions operated their own lists (since phones were normally sold for a specific region).
That meant that stolen phones would often just get shipped abroad, even with a bar in place for the UK.