Homeowners in wealthy neighborhoods throughout Orange County have been targeted by South American theft rings in what authorities dub “burglary tourism.”
Residential break-ins attributed to tourist burglars, known as “Lanzas Internacionales,” or international thieves in the Spanish-speaking world, are on the rise, the Sheriff’s Department says.
Crime data in south Orange County for 2022 show overall home burglaries are relatively low – still mostly in the single digits in the various cities under contract with the Sheriff’s Department. But there are signs the tourist rings are at work.
The crews are pros, authorities say. They’re quick and proficient, and they don’t always stick around after arrests. “They’re like ghosts, here today and gone tomorrow,” an undercover detective in Los Angeles said.
The rings have “changed what a typical burglary is,” said Shep Bryan, owner of Maximum Security Safes in Santa Ana.
He said the thieves will haul commercial tools to tear out bolted-down or mounted wall safes. Bryan noticed a shift in the past year, when clients came in asking how to protect their possessions against the tourist burglars, including one client who reported about $180,000 worth of damage to his marble staircase after burglars stole a 500-pound safe from the second floor and dragged it down the stairs.
Bryan has two used safes in his showroom that have survived attempted burglaries in Irvine and Yorba Linda; he believes the tourist burglars were behind them.
The rings have been around for decades, but authorities noticed a nationwide uptick since 2018, with police arresting more Chilean and Colombian nationals operating in loose-knit groups of skilled burglars. They may ship the stolen goods back to their country, authorities say, or sell them online before wiring the money.
Typically, the thieves use the same modus operandi. They target homes, surveilling them a few days prior and returning when occupants are gone. The burglars…
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