Gangs of illegal immigrants from South America are committing burglaries on upscale homes in Michigan



"Transnational gangs" from South America are committing high-end burglaries on upscale homes in Michigan, according to law enforcement.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard is sounding the alarm over a rash of burglaries targeting luxurious homes. Bouchard is warning local residents to secure their houses because illegal immigrants are committing home invasions to steal high-end goods.

The sheriff said the burglars are stealing jewelry, precious metals, high-end watches, expensive purses, electronics, money, and safes. Bouchard said the robberies have totaled more than $1 million.

"They typically hit homes from 5 to 9 p.m., they seem to want houses where nobody's home, and they usually come in through windows in the back," he explained.

"They do a lot of surveillance, we believe, before they commit a crime," Bouchard continued. "Usually, it's two or three people working together, with one of them stationed outside as a driver."

"They're focused on the target, not on the community," Bouchard added. "They don't recognize jurisdictions or borders of a country, a state or a county."

Sheriff Bouchard noted that the suspects are illegal immigrants from South America.

"These are transnational gangs that are involved in this that come from South America, looking to do burglaries and violate our communities, not just in Oakland County but across America," Bouchard said on Friday. "It's criminality at its organized crime best in terms of that's how it functions. They work together, and they're here for a specific purpose."

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Custom Enforcement says transnational gangs "strike fear into our local neighborhoods, commit violent crimes against our citizens and facilitate criminal activity such as narcotics and firearms trafficking, sex trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking, and corruption."

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Bouchard believes the suspects are illegal immigrants from Chile, Colombia, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Peru, Guatemala, Honduras, and Venezuela.

The sheriff said the criminals illegally enter the U.S. by crossing the southern border or by manipulating the Visa Waiver Program. He added that the suspects purchase fake identification.

The sheriff blamed the Biden administration for not securing the U.S. southern border.

"American’s are getting crushed," Bouchard declared. "With fentanyl, human trafficking, terrorist activity that is a ticking time bomb in my opinion. And obviously, transnational gangs that are now attacking communities in Oakland County."

Bouchard demanded, "Secure the border, fix the immigration system, do your damn job."

"Border security for everybody is critically important," Bouchard stated.

The Oakland County Sheriff's Office is working with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to catch the perpetrators.

Bourchard advised homeowners, "If you see something, say something."

International crime ring suspected in burglaries of luxury homes across Oakland County www.youtube.com

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'Crime tourism' crews from South America easily get tourist visas to visit California after applying online — then stake out wealthy homes, rob owners blind



It's looking like easy pickings for South American "crime tourism" crews.

Authorities say they apparently have no problem entering the U.S. after applying online for tourist visas to visit California — and police say they stake out homes in wealthy communities and fleece them once owners are gone, even for short periods of time.

KGO-TV noted surveillance video released by police in Hillsborough — which is less than a half hour south of San Francisco — showing one crime tourism crew targeting a luxury home. The station said it's a phenomenon happening all over the state.

What else?

Earlier this month, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office arrested a four-man crew that robbed a home in a neighborhood in Camarillo, KGO said.

"This is crime tourism. They're coming here for the purpose of targeting neighborhoods," Cmdr. Eric Buschow of the Ventura County Sheriff's Office told the station. "Specifically vehicles, homes. Not violent crimes, but they're going after the big bucks.

In the Camarillo case, sheriff's deputies saw the getaway car and chased the crew all the way into Los Angeles, KGO said, adding that LAPD assisted in arresting the suspects.

How do the crime tourism crews pull it off?

Investigators told the station that crime tourism crews often wait for homeowners to leave their residences before stealing from them.

"They target homes that back up to golf courses and open space," Buschow noted to KGO. "And they'll literally stand in the bushes and watch, and when people leave — sometimes it's a two-hour window; they'll go out to dinner or something like that — they'll go in and pounce."

Ventura County sheriff's investigators told the station most of the "tourist burglary crews" are from Chile.

Residents in one Camarillo neighborhood noted to KGO that they're aware of the crews that have been targeting their community and surrounding areas.

"Several of my friends have been hit repeatedly," Camarillo resident John McGrath revealed to the station. "And it's matter of sharing information and getting involved in community watch. Things like that really seem to help. And anytime you see something suspicious, report it."

The Ventura County Sheriff's Office told KGO that it handled 100 cases last year involving South American crime tourism crews.

San Francisco residents don't 'feel safe,' turn to private security amid crime spree



With crime spiraling out of control in their city, residents of San Francisco's Marina District have turned to private security to patrol the streets and protect their families, with some saying they don't feel safe in their own neighborhoods.

"We don't feel safe in our neighborhood," resident Kate Lyons told KPIX-TV. "And we have an alarm, we have cameras on our property, but we want the extra security of having someone have eyes on our place."

Lyons and 150 other residents in the Marina District have hired the services of patrol special officer Alan Byard, who provides a measure of added security by patrolling the streets amid a surge in car break-ins and home burglaries.

"It's a nice area down here, people are afraid of what's been going on," Byard told KPIX. "They want a safe place to raise their kids. In the last year, I've had 10 of my clients move out of the city."

According to the news station, patrol special officers are private patrolmen overseen by the police commission.

Byard patrols the streets in his vehicle from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., keeping on the lookout for suspicious activity. Since the pandemic began in 2019, he said his residential clients have more than doubled from 70 to 150 households in the district, as well as businesses. He charges $65 per residence for his services.

The security expert said car burglaries are the biggest problem in the area right now. He's also dealt with homeless people sleeping on residents' doorsteps. Petty theft and burglaries are also common crimes, Byard explained.

Lyons said she'll often find stolen property including empty luggage dumped right outside her home. She reported that car burglars commonly break into vehicles parked at the Palace of Fine Arts, near where she lives.

"Especially at night, I don't walk with a purse, I'll drive, or I'll take an Uber, and it's beginning to become a daytime problem too," she said.

Allan Brown, a 20-year Marina resident, was asked by KPIX-TV if property crimes have gotten worse over time.

"Oh absolutely, absolutely. This place used to be – nothing would ever happen here," he said.

Local law enforcement said that fewer than a dozen auto burglary crews are believed to be responsible for most of the car break-ins in the San Francisco Bay Area, according to the Associated Press. But news reports and viral videos of brazen smash-and-grabs have called attention to these crimes.

Over the summer, the San Francisco Chronicle reported a 753% increase in car break-ins in the city's Central District from May 2020 to May 2021, including in top tourist locations like Fisherman's Wharf and Chinatown.

On Oct. 15, TikTok star and Australian singer-songwriter Clinton Kane was the victim of an armed robbery in Cow Hollow. Thieves held him at gunpoint and stole more than $30,000 worth of camera equipment from his parked vehicle.

In response, last week San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of "high-level leaders of organized auto burglary fencing operations."

"These break-ins hurt our residents, especially working families who do not have the time or money to deal with the effects, as well as visitors to our city whose experiences are too often tarnished after an otherwise positive experience," Breed said.

But even as she made the public announcement to fight back against break-ins, a couple visiting from Seattle were the victims of another car robbery just a few blocks away, KGO-TV reporter Lyanne Melendez tweeted.

This happened just a few blocks from where mayor @LondonBreed announced a new plan to cut back on break-ins in… https://t.co/sxBTXdAEiY

— Lyanne Melendez (@LyanneMelendez) 1634669982.0

Officials warn San Francisco residents and tourists should hide their belongings and park their vehicles in staffed lots wherever possible.