Sheriff blames South Americans in suburban Denver burglaries, says only evidence is similar to crimes in other states

Masked men in hoodies and gloves who broke into nine “high-value” homes and stole cash, jewelry and designer purses in the south suburbs of Denver are believed to be part of a “burglary ring South America,” law enforcement officials said Thursday. .

The nine homes were most often broken into on Fridays shortly after sunset from February through October, the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office said, calling them “dinner break-ins.”

Grainy black and white security camera footage with a time stamp captures a person walking in an outdoor area with steps and potted plants. — Still from a camera showing a burglary at a house in a suburb of Denver. (Provided by Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office)

Arapahoe County, the Cherry Hills Village Police Department, the Columbine Valley Police Department and the Littleton Police Department are working with law enforcement officers from California, Arizona and Florida, who have arrested people in Chile, Colombia and Venezuela after similar burglaries.

The law enforcement warning comes as crimes committed by South Americans have come under intense scrutiny. Venezuelan-related gang activity in Aurora has been in the national spotlight, largely because of former President Donald Trump, who said the city was “conquered” gangs during a campaign stop in Aurora this month. The claim was disputed by Aurora officials, including the mayor and police chief.

Authorities said at a news conference Thursday that they had no additional evidence pointing to South Americans, other than that the killings fit the pattern of burglaries in other states where authorities have arrested South Americans.

“The only thing we can say is it’s a very distinct pattern,” said Brett Cohn, an Arapahoe County sheriff’s sergeant. “The pattern is that they’re targeting million dollar homes… Do we have information personally that it’s from South America? Absolutely not.”

Surveillance footage reveals four individuals, each in separate frames labeled 1 through 4, walking outdoors at night. Dressed in jackets, hats and backpacks, their actions raised concerns about potential immigration-related criminal activity. — A composite of various theft suspects. (Provided by Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office)

The way people enter homes, through the back and by breaking a window, and the way they go through homes looking for money, jewelry and bags, is similar across the country, he said.

Cherry Hills Village Police Officer Jeremy Gunther said Colorado authorities have also spoken with law enforcement officials in South Dakota, Delaware, Ohio, New York and Florida, where the South Americans have been arrested in the flurry of burglaries.

“They happen to be people from South America,” he said. “We don’t know if it’s ours, but it fits.”

In burglaries in other states, suspects have used signal jamming devices to disable home alarm systems, but “it is unknown if the suspects in Colorado are doing this,” the sheriff’s office said.

Authorities said they do not have descriptions or photos of the vehicles and believe the thieves were left on the street from homes.

The thefts occurred in homes that back onto open space, greenbelts, canals, trails, golf courses or have heavy tree cover along the property line, the department said. Two to four people wearing masks and sometimes carrying a backpack were involved in the break-ins, surveillance video shows.

“They will break an exterior glass door, then rummage through cabinets, closets and bathrooms,” according to a news release.

The burglaries occurred at four homes in Cherry Hills Village, two in Arapahoe County, two in Littleton and one in Columbine Valley. A homeowner interrupted one of the burglaries in Cherry Hills Village.

Map of the Denver area highlighting locations marked with black circles in various neighborhoods, including Littleton and Cherry Hills Village. — Map showing locations of various break-ins. (Provided by Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office)

The value of the stolen items is about $1 million, officers said.

In Southern California, federal authorities have charged 10 people in a string of bank robberies. The citizens, mainly Chileans, using signal jamming devices and blow chains, are accused of getting away with 2.5 million dollars.

In Scottsdale, Arizona, authorities warned of an increase in home burglaries that they linked to South American theft rings described as “criminal tourists” because they come to the US to commit crimes. Police there said in February they began noticing problem in October 2023.

And in August, authorities said four Colombians were responsible nine “high quality” residential burglaries. in six Florida counties. The stolen items, valued at about $1.7 million, included jewelry, watches, designer purses and bags and cash, authorities said.

Story Type: News