'Burglary tourists' from South America attack luxury homes in Los Angeles

Two Chilean thieves were jailed in the UK in 2020 after being caught on CCTV jumping a fence. Photo: Cheshire Police

The Chileans — and other South American gangs — are believed to have carried out hundreds of burglaries in Orange, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Diego counties, police said.

“They often target homes connected to open spaces, hiking trails and canyons. it gives them access,” said Alan Hamilton, deputy chief of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Robbers try not to carry guns so they don't face more serious gun charges if they're arrested, he told the Los Angeles Times. < /p>'Very methodically'

Michigan police tell a similar story . «This group is very methodical,» said Orange County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.

He said, «The robbers used things like trackers on cars, they used security cameras to map out the lifestyle and determine when you come and go.”

Such is the sophistication Thieves said one gang leader, who allegedly ran a team in Los Angeles, used a fake passport to open a Bank of America account and wire $23,000 (£18,000) home.

In 2022, the FBI will create a task force to combat gangs.

One of the victims in the UK was Marcus Wareing, a famous chef.

A gang of burglars ransacked the home of Masterchef star Marcus Wareing. Photo: Andrew Crowley

Gangs also targeted a Cheshire stockbroker's belt, popular with many footballers.

Tomasz Kuszczak, the Manchester United goalkeeper, looked on. horrified when surveillance footage on his phone shows a gang robbing his home.

Police in Nassau County, New York, broke up the gang in 2020. It was one of several operating in the New York area.

p>

The problem is compounded by the ability of Chileans to enter the US for 90 days under the Electronic System of Entry Authorization (Esta) scheme for tourists, without having to obtaining a visa.

According to Todd Spitzer, the Orange County district attorney, the Chilean government has refused to provide the United States with the criminal records of its citizens using the Esta system.

Their actions will help bolster Donald Trump's claims that South Americans are responsible for the crime wave in the US — although in this case it is “tourists”, not immigrants.