Police in the United Kingdom are worried about the latest lethal weapon making waves on the black market, a powerful stun gun disguised as an iPhone.
Police fear there could be as many as 10,000 devices circulating in the country. The stealth stun guns are five times more powerful than a taser, capable of delivering a two million volt bolt, The Mirror reported Saturday.
The device discharges the powerful shock from two metal pin points at the top, which is fired from the “volume” buttons on the side of the fake phone.
The gadget can be bought online from for about $150 dollars, according to The Mirror, and can be sold for double that price on the streets.
“Getting hold of them is easy. There are plenty of websites out there offering them for sale. Most are based in China but Germany and the USA has lots too,” once source told The Mirror.
Their clever design makes the devices very easy to slip through customs.
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They are often used by criminal gangs on rivals, but law enforcement officials are worried that once the devices hit the streets they could end up in the wrong hands.
“Trigger-happy kids could get hold of them. Because they look so like an iPhone, it’s too easy to see them as some kind of toy,” one source told The Mirror. “They are definitely not that. If you get hit by one, then you’re on the floor straight away.”
Metropolitan Police data shows more than 200 crimes involving the weapons were committed over the past three years in London alone, according to the Mirror.
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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