Criminals are 'shopping' for consumer electronics and hi-tech devices with extra vigour as the festive season approaches - they have hit OR Tambo International Airport's cargo area repeatedly. This has put security at the Johannesburg airport, South Africa's biggest, in the spotlight.In the latest incident, armed robbers posing as police stormed the AFS Cargo warehouse at the airport a week ago, making off with over a ton of cellphones and laptop computers.The Times has reliably learnt that the theft was not an isolated incident.Swissport Cargo has been hit three times, Menzies cargo twice and a number of smaller freight handlers have been targeted since May. Sources say the same modus operandi is used.Six suspects have been arrested in connection with the latest OR Tambo robbery. They appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrate's Court on Thursday. Police spokesman Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said one man was released and five are still in custody.Airports Company SA confirmed the incident but refused to give details.But a source told The Times the robbers drove past a security checkpoint and parked in the airport's cargo area."Accompanying the guys dressed as police were masked men who knew their way about the place and knew exactly what and where the containers were. They even knew how to drive the hysters (forklift freight handlers). Within 30 minutes they had loaded 1.5t of iPhones and laptops worth millions of rands," the source said.Acsa senior manager of corporate affairs Kuselwa Gogo said the area in which the robbery took place was within a precinct at the airport to which freight companies, couriers and the public had access."This is where goods for shipment are delivered and received. Acsa continues to work closely with the police and our stakeholders to review security measures and achieve an optimal balance between access and security," she said.The heist is the latest in an increasing number focused on the theft of electronic devices.Last year, cellphones and other devices worth R1.5-million were stolen from a Vodacom shop in Hyde Park Mall, Johannesburg.After the arrest last year of 30 people believed to be members of a syndicate linked to the robberies, police spokesman Vish Naidoo expressed concern about the increase in cellphone robberies."The ever-increasing demand for these gadgets beyond our borders has played a role in the surge in these crimes," he said.The Institute for Security Studies' Gareth Newham said because such goods were in high demand and expensive it was easy for criminals to sell them and make a hefty, quick profit."There are notable weaknesses in the state security agencies, particularly with regard to crime intelligence and investigations in relation to tackling organised crime. The risk of being brought to justice is very low for the syndicates involved in these robberies."High rewards for relatively low risk is why these crimes occur," Newham said.Anine Kriegler, a criminologist at UCT's Centre of Criminology, said the prevalence of crimes such as bank robberies and cash-in-transit heists had fallen over the years.In 2006-2007, there were 467 cash-in-transit robberies nationally, compared with 137 in 2015-2016."[Increasing] pressure has been placed on groups and individuals who might otherwise have focused on cash-in-transit or bank robberies, so they might be switching their efforts to other high-reward crimes, such as focusing on places with lots of tech devices," Kriegler said.The chairman of the Air Cargo Operators' Committee, Alwyn Rautenbach, has called on Acsa to improve security at OR Tambo."Our members can see no tangible difference in security procedures since 2007 when a memorandum of understanding [dealing with security] was signed."..