Sophisticated 'burglary tourists' fly from South America to rob wealthy homes, LAPD says

In the desert near Scottsdale, Arizona, police tracked down a 17-year-old Chilean member of an international heist ring suspected of stealing jewels and luxury items from homes in Los Angeles. Using helicopters and drones, officers found him hiding under a tree.

The teenager and his two adult accomplices admitted to breaking into multiple homes as part of a trend called "burglary tourism" from South America. The Los Angeles Police Department first arrested the fugitive and three others on Feb. 29 in Pacific Palisades while they were scouting wealthy neighborhoods. The group was tracked using their vehicle's license plate captured on security cameras during burglaries in East Hollywood.

Thieves from South American countries have been entering the U.S. over the past five years to commit robberies, exploiting the tourist visa system's lack of background checks. They plan and execute burglary sprees, selling stolen goods before sending profits back home.

South American theft groups, especially Chileans, have become more active in L.A., targeting affluent neighborhoods for easy-to-sell valuables like jewelry. Despite overall burglary rates decreasing, crimes linked to these groups have surged. LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton estimated around 94 burglaries last year in the north of L.A. involving such crews.

These groups avoid carrying firearms to evade additional charges and sometimes use jamming devices to disable home security systems. LAPD and local law enforcement have formed a task force to combat this issue.

In a recent case, a 33-year-old Chilean, Felipe Leiva Solis, was arrested multiple times for burglaries across different areas. He was part of an organized burglary ring responsible for several break-ins and used a fake passport to wire money back to Chile.

Chilean or South American groups have also been behind hundreds of break-ins in neighboring counties. District Attorney Todd Spitzer has criticized the lack of disclosure regarding visa requirements and criminal histories between the U.S. and Chile, causing challenges for prosecution.

The Chilean teenage fugitive arrested in Arizona had fake Venezuelan documents and attempted to evade authorities multiple times. He possessed court documentation related to his crimes in California and items possibly linked to other burglaries, according to Scottsdale Police Chief Jeff Walther.