Authorities believe members of a South American theft ring have been burglarizing homes in Southern California while using high-tech equipment.
Officials recently announced the arrest of seven suspects, ABC 7 reported Wednesday.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said, “If you want to come here and steal from us, if you want to come here and break into our houses, if you want to come in here and scare and traumatize our families, let me assure you, where you will spend some time: in our jails, in our prisons, because you will get arrested, prosecuted and punished.”
The burglaries have happened in affluent areas, where the suspects targeted neighbors by checking their social media pages to see if they were out of town.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the thieves used Wi-Fi jammers and placed hidden cameras near homes to track when residents were not at home. During a press conference with officials, Luna showed reporters a wooden box covered in fake grass he said was supposed to hold a phone and camera with extra batteries.
He urged neighbors to alert police if they saw those devices or others planted around the area:
In contrast to Hochman’s claim that officials were taking a hard stance against such crimes, retired Border Patrol Chief and former CBP Commander Gregory Bovino wrote in a social media post that “illegal aliens are now using hidden cameras and GPS trackers to spy on California families before breaking into their homes. This isn’t random crime. This is sophisticated, organized burglary rings operating with zero fear.”
“They’re here and laughing at us because they know we’re not serious about addressing them. Mass deportations would change that overnight. Once word spreads that enforcement is real, many would self-deport before we ever knock on their door. That’s how you clean up neighborhoods…….fast,” he concluded:
One of the suspects arrested was identified as 22-year-old Kevin Diaz, whom authorities believed had been part of nearly 20 burglaries linked to the theft ring, Fox 11 reported Thursday.
When police arrested Diaz on May 4, he had allegedly broken into a home where the homeowner was still inside, according to KTLA.
She barricaded herself in a bathroom and called law enforcement, who arrived while the suspect was still there. He was caught after trying to flee the scene:
“You expect to be okay in your house, in the sanctity of your home… You’re fighting this unseen enemy who seems to have the best of you,” a neighbor told the outlet.
Some in the group of suspects who were arrested along with Diaz are Colombian nationals and all are linked to South American theft rings, the outlet said.
“Officials revealed that these organized crime groups conduct extensive pre-planning and deploy highly sophisticated tactics to exploit vulnerabilities,” per the Fox report.
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