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Crime tourism

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Organized crime phenomenon
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Crime tourism is an ongoing, worldwide phenomenon of organized crime where a group of bandits arrive to a foreign country as "tourists", often originating from South America, specifically to target wealthy households, before returning to their country of origin. The phenomenon is not confined to a single cohesive group, but is rather a pattern observed across multiple independent criminal enterprises.

Vanity Fair has reported a wave of this type of crime occurring in California that has been ongoing since 2016, according to an unnamed FBI special agent. The Electronic System for Travel Authorization or ESTA, has been referenced as having enabled this type of crime in the United States as it grants "virtually automatic" 90-day visa waivers to member countries' citizens. California Senate Bill 54 ("SB 54") has also been referenced as a reason for California being a common target, as it limits local authorities' ability to share information with the federal government in the enforcement of immigration law.

As of January 2022, the FBI has a task force dedicated to this crime ring. Arrests have been made in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom in connection with these crime rings. According to the FBI, these groups have been operating in the U.S. since the mid-1980s.

Examples

  • Herrera-Maldonado gang, Chile -> New York - 20+ residential break-ins in Nassau County, estimated $5M value
  • Vallejos-Vera group, Chile -> United Kingdom - 5+ break-ins, 170,000 GBP estimated value
  • Australian syndicate - $1M estimated value
  • Simi Valley syndicate - estimated 20 burglaries

Patterns

  • Unarmed burglars
  • Acquiring rental cars with false identities
  • Using burner phones for communication between group members
  • Targeting wealthy neighborhoods and homes, specifically empty homes
  • Stealing watches, jewelry
  • Frequently originating from Chile, sometimes Colombia
  • Due to the high success rate of these criminal networks, high bail is often paid quickly by associates and the subjects skip court

References

  1. Garcia, Sid (2022-03-18). "'Crime tourism' bringing burglary crews from South America to Hillsborough, other CA communities". ABC7 San Francisco. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  2. "Embajadora de EEUU descarta que lanzas internacionales pongan en riesgo Visa Waiver para chilenos". 19 May 2023.
  3. "Thieves in the Night: A Vast Burglary Ring From Chile Has Been Targeting Wealthy U.S. Households". Vanity Fair. 2022-02-24. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  4. "Atherton and Hillsborough Mansions Hit With 'Burglary Tourism' By Chilean Gangs Out of L.A." SFist - San Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, & Sports. 2022-02-02. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  5. Childs, Jeremy. "Chilean burglary crews hit Ventura County in recent crime trend". Ventura County Star. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  6. "SDSO: South American crime ring is responsible for burglaries in wealthy San Diego neighborhoods". cbs8.com. 2022-01-24. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  7. "International Jewel Thief Rings". FBI. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  8. "Police Capture 5 Suspects In Long Island's 'South American Theft Group' From Chilè". www.cbsnews.com. 6 March 2020. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  9. Roach, April (2020-06-19). "Chileans jailed for 'tourism burglary' spree". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  10. "Who Is Robbing Europe's Elite Footballers?". www.vice.com. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  11. Puente, Mark (2019-04-24). "Dozens of Chilean 'tourists' tied to burglaries in Southern California, police say". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  12. Martinez, Christian. "Police bust burglary ring that hit about 20 Simi Valley homes, operated in several counties". Ventura County Star. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  13. ^ "Home burglaries in Fishers believed to be linked to South American theft group". Fox 59. 2022-03-15. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
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