Crime tourist Chilean gangs flying in to burgle UK homes
GANGS of South American thieves are targeting Britain in a new wave of “crime tourism”, police have revealed. Burglars are flying in from Chile to loot homes in wealthy areas of London and the Home Counties.
Jewellery and other valuables worth millions have been stolen in the raids and shipped abroad.
The crooks, who stay for only two or three weeks, are believed to meet up with the leaders of an organised crime network in London soon after arriving.
They are given vehicles, mobile phones and a “shopping list” of properties to burgle – often big houses next to golf courses, parkland or forests. Police say the burglars always try to break in through first-floor windows using ladders left nearby or even garden furniture.
Hauls of stolen goods including jewellery, watches, designer handbags and other luxury items are handed over to gang bosses.
Scotland Yard launched a clampdown on the gangs codenamed Operation Genie following a series of burglaries.
We were seeing the burglars making use of garden furniture and tables or insecure ladders to break in on the first floor
In the past two years, detectives have arrested 75 Chileans on suspicion of burglary. So far, the leaders behind the gangs’ activities have escaped capture.
Operation Genie officers seized a container at Heathrow of valuables destined for Chile that included a £100,000 watch.
Detective Inspector Tim Court said gangs use “sophisticated targeting” to take advantage of lax security.
He said: “We were seeing the burglars making use of garden furniture and tables or insecure ladders to break in on the first floor.”
Chilean gangs have been jailed this year.
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Ailin Miranda, 22, and Alfredo Rodriguez, 34, were caught raiding a house in Oxford when the owner returned after picking up children from school.
They were jailed for 20 months at Oxford Crown Court last month.
Four Chileans were arrested after police caught them redhanded as they raided a house in Rickmansworth, Herts.
They were each jailed for two years in April at St Albans Crown Court.