Dozens
of Chilean ‘tourists’ tied to robbery spree in Southern California, police say
Mark Puente
International thieves from Chile are suspected of committing
hundreds of burglaries across Southern California after obtaining visa waivers
to enter the United States, authorities said.
For
months, a sophisticated ring of burglars have targeted affluent homes,
businesses and cars in Los Angeles and the counties of Alameda, Orange, San
Bernardino, Santa Clara and Ventura, lifting jewelry, guns and other valuables,
police said.
A
similar spate of “burglary tourism” is occurring in Texas, Arizona, Colorado,
New York and other states, as well as several European countries, the FBI said.
“It is
a growing problem,” said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller. “They’re very
sophisticated. It’s a hot zone in Southern California.”
Last
week, Simi Valley police, working with the California Highway Patrol and
Ventura County deputies, arrested three Chilean men for multiple vehicle
burglaries. Each was here on temporary visas, police said.
The
men, aged 22 to 29, used a jamming device to prevent car owners from locking
their vehicles, a news release said. The device interrupts the signal when car
owners activate the lock on key fobs.
The
visa waiver makes it hard for police to learn the real identities of the
crooks, investigators said.
The
ESTA — Electronic System for Travel Authorization— visa waiver allows citizens
from 38 countries to visit the United States for tourism, business, study or
medical purposes for 90 days.
Crime
patterns began emerging in Southern California in the past year.
So
far, police have been unable to determine the number of heists, the value of
items stolen across the region or how many people work in the ring.
The
crews’ signature identifiers include fake passports and phony identification
cards. They use rental cars, sometimes masked with paper license plates. After
entering the rear of homes, the burglars typically barricade front doors,
including those in gated communities with private security patrols.
Once
inside, crews scour master bedrooms for jewelry, money, guns and safes. Homes
with parks, trails or undeveloped land behind them are prime targets, police
said.
Investigators
with the Los Angeles Police Department and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office
peg the burglaries in the “hundreds.”
LAPD
Capt. Donald Graham, commander of the North Hollywood Division, said it is
common for homeowners to lose $30,000 to $40,000 in a heist. Officers are aware
of at least 40 burglaries in the division and dozens more in other areas.
The
crews break glass or pry open patio doors but will not spend minutes
circumventing alarm systems, he said.
“It’s
become very distinguished by the way they stack furniture against doors,”
Graham said. “This is a wide organized crime ring. We’re going to need help
from other law enforcement agencies to shut them down.”
The
crooks also steal paperwork and documents like passports so they can later
create more fake identities, he added.
Detectives
learned the crews are removing diamonds and other stones from jewelry to make
the stolen goods harder to identify or trace.
The
federal government established the visa program in 2009 to provide the U.S.
Customs and Border Protection and Department of Homeland Security with the
capability to pre-screen travelers against numerous no-fly, criminal, and
terrorist databases, according to the program website.
The
visa waivers are good for two years and can be used for multiple entries.
Applicants can apply for the waivers as late as three days before leaving the
country, according to the website.
Eimiller,
the FBI spokeswoman, said the bureau has contacted its FBI representative in
Santiago, Chile for assistance.
In the
past eight months, authorities in London and Australia have made arrests to
disrupt similar Chilean theft rings, according to published reports. Australian
police say the syndicate stole more than $1 million in goods from stores and
homes.
Ventura
County Sheriff’s Detective Theodore Stern, lead investigator on the case, said
the thieves have developed a “professional system” to strike homes that appear
unoccupied.
"It's
in the hundreds and hundreds," he said about the thefts. "It's a huge
issue. They're taking advantage of our immigration laws. Officers are working
hard to catch these guys.”
In
Ventura County, burglars have immediately sold the property or shipped it back
to Chile, Stern said. Deputies, he added, have recovered some of the valuables
sold locally.
Last
month, the city of Hidden Hills’ sent out 2,000 newsletters warning residents
about 11 incidents in the western foothills of the San Fernando Valley.
The
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department believes most, if not all, of these
incidents are directly related to “Chilean Tourist Burglars,” the newsletter
said.
In
January, Simi Valley police arrested four other Chilean men for 20 home burglaries
and other thefts from vehicles at golf courses. The men, aged 19 to 30, listed
North Hollywood addresses and were arrested after officers conducted
surveillance of them in Upland, police said.
“We
have arrested some significant players,” Stern said. “It’s very likely there
are lots of suspects out there.”
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