Just for clarity, I'm not suggesting anything has been stolen. The laws around 'dual use' (ie half-decent) thermal cameras are strict and have little to do with actual ownership.
I have an American-made science-grade thermal camera that I bought secondhand, quite properly, here in the UK. But if I had bought exactly the same make and model of camera in exactly the same used condition, in person, in the USA, I would be in for a world of pain, particularly if I tried to bring it to the UK for my own use. We're talking massive fines and serious jail time. If a US Citizen bought it for their own use in the USA, that would be OK. But if my American friend bought it - perfectly legally - in the USA and then mailed it to me,
they would be in for the big fines and jail time.
It's a strange world and it isn't just the USA who plays hardball. Have a look round this forum for "
Wassenar", "
ITAR", "
EAR".
I'm not trying to scare anyone for the sake of it. I'm just trying to make it abundantly clear that the Powers That Be tend to control decent thermal cameras with the same zeal as, say, nuclear weapons. (An exception seems to be anything manufactured in China, because the Chinese seem much more relaxed about selling their home-grown technology - but you can still get into trouble with (eg) the UK authorities for exporting a Chinese-designed and Chinese-made thermal camera to places like, er, China. Go figure.)