(ProsperNews.net) – An illegal immigrant gang is targeting high-end homes for burglary in Phoenix, police have warned. The gang, said to be comprised of migrants from Chile, is responsible for more than 100 offenses in the area and has so far stolen around $3 million in cash and jewelry. Police arrested three suspected gang members in February and identified these as 20-year-old Ellen Gutierrez Saez, 21-year-old Johan Salvo Alacon, and 25-year-old Manuel Eduardo Fuentes Gomez, and confirmed they are all in the US illegally.
The group targeted Phoenix suburbs including Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Chandler, and Gilbert and Peoria, and authorities in California believe the same gang may be active there. Law enforcement officers in the Golden State alerted colleagues in Arizona, leading to the three arrests in the Camelback Mountain area.
Reports say the gangs choose homes in open areas that permit them to escape undetected, and they use technology capable of disabling security cameras. In just one incident, the crew allegedly made off with $33,000 worth of guns, jewelry, and cash.
Illegal immigrants committing burglaries is a growing crime in America, and in January, Chicago police said migrants were responsible for a burglary and theft crime wave in the suburbs surrounding the Windy City. Between October 2023 and January 2024, police in Chicago arrested 47 migrants for retail and home robberies.
Oak Brook Deputy Chief of Police Reid Foltyniewicz said homes and businesses must be aware of “the increase in criminal activity from the migrant community.”
The Coalition of Police and Sheriffs of America wrote a letter to lawmakers in Washington last year urging them to close the border because criminal gangs pose an ever-increasing threat to American safety. Gangs of burglars target houses in remote areas, isolated from neighbors, the letter warned. Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard signed the letter and advised homeowners never to leave doors unlocked, to test security systems regularly, and not to leave valuables in vehicles – even inside locked garages.
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