Authorities reported that three Chilean citizens currently living in the US illegally were apprehended as part of a home theft ring that had been preying on affluent Phoenix area residences.
According to Fox 10, the group is thought to be responsible for a minimum of 111 occurrences since February 2023, the majority of which occur on weekends. Authorities have reported that approximately $3 million worth of cash, jewels, and other valuables had been stolen.
Last week, three individuals were taken into custody. The victims were identified as Manuel Eduardo Fuentes Gomez (25 years old), Johan Salvo Alacon (21 years old), and Ellen Gutierrez Saez (20 years old). According to an arrest report that the news source got, they are in the US illegally from Chile.
A South American criminal gang with U.S. operations is thought to include the three individuals in question. This gang is known for committing robberies, fraud, and trafficking in stolen items.
The Phoenix area and its surrounding suburbs—Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Chandler, Gilbert, and Peoria—were the sites of several crimes.
Information about the same group’s members was received by authorities from California law enforcement. As a result, the three individuals were apprehended by the Arizona authorities in the Camelback Mountain region, as stated in the news report.
In order to park further away and sneak up on the houses unnoticed, the gang members frequently pick houses in open areas or golf courses. They allegedly brought cellular data and Wi-Fi jamming gear to thwart home surveillance cameras when they broke in.
The alleged burglars made off with cash, jewels, and firearms valued at $33,000 from a single residence, as detailed in official court records.
(This news report is from a syndicated feed. THND team members did not write or edit the content except for the headline.)
