Glendale police this week arrested a group of Colombian nationals suspected of being part of a South American “robbery tourism” ring operating in Los Angeles County.
The four men were detained during a traffic stop Monday night in the Emerald Isle neighborhood shortly after 10:30 p.m., the Glendale Police Department announced in a news release.
The men were pulling out of a cul-de-sac with their headlights off when officers stopped them and searched their vehicle, police said. Officers found a video surveillance device with a portable battery charging pack camouflaged with leaves in a Whole Foods bag. They also found a flower pot on the street, which detectives believe was where the surveillance device was located.
According to police, by placing the device near a home and recovering it later, suspects could, in theory, learn the time a person leaves their home.
Also inside the suspects' car, officers found several jewelry boxes, along with a construction helmet and vest, that could be used to approach a home without attracting attention, police said.
The four men were identified as Bryan Martínez Vargas, 28 years old; José Antonio Velásquez, 28; Edison Arley Pinzón Fandino, 27; and Luis Carlos Moreno, 29, according to police. The men were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit robbery.
This was not the first time police had encountered Martínez Vargas.
On April 30, police officers with a burglary task force responded to a residential burglary call in the Crescenta Highlands neighborhood. During the call, police engaged in a high-speed chase with the suspects, who eventually drove their car onto the shoulder of a freeway exit, according to dashcam footage from a police vehicle involved in the chase.
During the chase, the suspects in the car attempted to dispose of the stolen items and a device used to disrupt Wi-Fi signals used with home security systems, according to police.
Martínez Vargas and William Guanume, 45, were in the car and were detained. It is unclear what charges the men faced for that incident.
Police say Martinez Vargas and other Glendale robbery suspects are believed to be part of a “robbery tourism” ring.
Glendale Police Chief Manny Cid called the situation “frustrating” in a statement, considering that Martínez Vargas had been arrested just weeks after his previous arrest.
Glendale is not the only one to be targeted by a group of foreigners who are believed to have entered the U.S. disguised as tourists but are instead robbing upscale residential neighborhoods.
Over the past five years, more and more thieves from South American countries are taking advantage of the tourist visa system, which does not require a background check for travelers, according to police officials. Once in the country, police say, they plan heists and fence off the loot before sending their profits home.
The groups mainly target wealthy neighborhoods where homes have jewelry and high-value items that can be easily exchanged for cash, police said.
Los Angeles police arrested a 17-year-old fugitive and three other Chileans earlier this year while searching homes in Pacific Palisades.
