In a concerning trend sweeping across affluent neighborhoods in Southern California, authorities are warning of a surge in what they are calling “burglary tourism” — robberies orchestrated by organized groups from South America, particularly Chile.
Exploiting the U.S. visa waiver program, the criminal enterprises have been wreaking havoc on homes across Los Angeles and beyond, prompting calls for urgent action from law enforcement and lawmakers.
The latest incident took place in the desert surrounding Scottsdale, Arizona, where police officers embarked on a hunt for a member of an international heist ring suspected of pilfering jewels and luxury goods from homes across Los Angeles. Utilizing helicopters and drones, authorities eventually apprehended the culprit, a 17-year-old from Chile, who was found hiding under a tree.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), this arrest is just one among many in a disturbing trend of “burglary tourism” from South America.
“I can tell you that we have a significant increase in burglaries from organized groups that are outside this country, that are coming into the country, and they are targeting high-end residents,” said LAPD Chief Dominic Choi.
LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton revealed that over the last five years, thieves from South American nations have been entering the U.S. with the intention of committing robberies. These criminals, often taking advantage of the tourist visa system, engage in meticulously planned heists, targeting homes in affluent neighborhoods known for their high-value items.
“The number of crimes tied to these kinds of crews are way, way up,” Hamilton told the L.A. Times.
The modus operandi of these criminal groups involves targeting homes connected to open spaces such as hiking trails and canyons, providing them with easy access. They typically avoid carrying firearms to evade gun charges and employ jamming devices to disable home security systems, enabling them to carry out their illegal activities with relative ease.
While Chileans form a significant portion of these criminal enterprises, other South American nationals, including Peruvians, Ecuadoreans and Colombians, have also been implicated in these crimes.
Consequently, the LAPD, along with other local law enforcement agencies, has established a dedicated task force to combat this growing problem.
Recent arrests shed further light on the issue. In one instance, Burbank police apprehended Felipe Leiva Solis, a 33-year-old Chilean national suspected of being part of an organized burglary ring responsible for a minimum of 10 residential burglaries in Glendale. He had allegedly wired thousands of dollars back home using a fake passport.
The scope of the issue extends beyond Los Angeles, with authorities in Orange, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Diego counties reporting hundreds of break-ins attributed to foreign burglary rings.
However, efforts to prosecute these criminals are often hampered by challenges in obtaining comprehensive criminal histories from their home countries.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer has been vocal about the need for stricter measures to curb “burglary tourism,” and even criticized the Chilean government for failing to provide crucial information on the criminal backgrounds of its citizens, essential for prosecuting repeat offenders.
“We are addressing that specifically in a task force fashion, through multi-agencies,” Choi said in a statement.
Calls for action have intensified, with lawmakers urging the revocation of Chile’s status under the Visa Waiver Program to stem the tide of burglaries. Despite being a regional leader in the rule of law and economic stability, Chile’s inclusion in the program has inadvertently facilitated the influx of criminals exploiting the lax vetting process.
As law enforcement agencies intensify their efforts to dismantle these burglary rings, communities remain on high alert.
