Chilean burglary gangs causing havoc in Southern California, law enforcement says

Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies throughout Southern California are joining forces to catch a new breed of brazen criminals using travel visas to enter the U.S. to pillage homes, businesses and automobiles.

Dubbed by authorities as “burglary tourism,” sophisticated gangs comprised of Chilean nationals are suspected of committing a string of  thefts in Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Orange counties, including a $1.2 million heist in March at a Laguna Niguel jewelry store.

In fact, the situation is so serious the FBI huddled Thursday in Beverly Hills with various Southern California law enforcement agencies to share intelligence and discuss the gangs’ tactics.

“We know it’s a problem that is happening in other states and countries around the world,” FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said. “Southern California seems to have seen a dramatic increase in the last few months.”

Other federal agencies also are monitoring Chilean gang activity in Southern California.

“U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Los Angeles is closely tracking this trend and is fully engaged with our federal, state and local strategic law enforcement partners,” said Jaime Ruiz, a spokesman for the agency said.

In addition, the Chilean government also has weighed in.

“This situation — an isolated case — is being monitored by our law enforcement agencies, which have been coordinating their efforts with the American agencies, in order to enhance preventive actions to avoid the repetition of such crimes,” said Jorge Canelas, the press and cultural attaché for the Chilean embassy in Washington, D.C.

Visas for tourism or business

The gangs are entering Southern California on ESTA — Electronic System for Travel Authorization — waivers that allow citizens of 38 countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for 90 days or less without first obtaining a visa, according to authorities.

Chile is the only South American country participating in ESTA. The system collects biographic information and requires applicants to answer eligibility questions about communicable diseases and arrests and convictions for certain crimes, along with past history of visa revocation or deportation.

Authorization through ESTA allows tourists to travel by ship or plane only to the U.S., but does not determine whether they will actually be admitted into the country. That decision is made by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers when they arrive.

Customs and Border Patrol officers employ a variety of databases, ask tough questions and use their intuition to prevent criminals from entering the U.S., said a federal law enforcement officer who was not authorized to speak publicly.

‘Needle in a haystack’

“We are constantly looking for a needle in a haystack,” the officer said. “But by using strategies, we make that haystack smaller.”

Although many Chileans who travel to Southern California have valid reasons for visiting, others seem to have nefarious motives, according to authorities.

In April, Simi Valley police — working with the Ventura County Auto Theft Task Force and the California Highway Patrol — arrested three Chilean nationals in connection with a series of vehicle burglaries.

Key fob jamming device

The suspects allegedly had used an electronic jamming device to interrupt the signal from victims’ remote key fobs to prevent vehicles from being locked. Victims would press the lock button on their remote and walk away believing the vehicle was locked, Semi Valley police Cmdr. Alan Thompson said.

The suspects were then able to enter the vehicles and remove valuables.

“Although they are not the only inventive criminals out there, it’s the first time I have heard of a vehicle’s remote signal being disabled by a jamming device,” Thompson said.

In January, four Chileans believed to have committed 20 residential burglaries in Simi Valley as well as other heists in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Alameda, and Santa Clara counties were also apprehended by police.

The suspects typically entered residences through a back door or window with a pry tool and would often use furniture to barricade the front door, according to authorities. Homes were then ransacked and valuables stolen.

LA County hard hit

Los Angeles County also has been hit hard by the gangs.

In March, the city of Hidden Hills published in its newsletter a story about an “unprecedented string” of seven burglaries alleged to have been committed by Chilean tourists.

“A simple Google search of Chilean tourist burglars will show the sophistication of this criminal enterprise,” the newsletter warns residents.

In Torrance, police officers in December advised a homeowners group in Hollywood Riviera that four Chilean nationals on tourist visas had been arrested in connection a pair of burglaries in their large condominium complex.

Police swooped in to catch them after a homeowner was alerted remotely by a home security system and called 911.

Other burglaries by suspected Chilean gangs have  been reported in Australia and Canada.

Information was not immediately available regarding whether authorities believe the the gangs are selling stolen items in the U.S. or shipping the goods back to Chile.

Also unclear was how the U.S. justice system is dealing with Chilean gang members who have been arrested. At the Torrance homeowners meeting, one resident said, police told them the four arrested a couple months earlier had already fled back to Chile.