Columbian national released weeks earlier is among group arrested for alleged ‘burglary tourism’ in California
Four Colombian nationals were arrested in a Los Angeles suburb Monday night with surveillance equipment that authorities say was being used as part of a "burglary tourism" operation, including one suspect who had been arrested for a similar crime just weeks earlier.
Police in Glendale spotted a suspicious vehicle driving without headlights on a dead-end street in the Emerald Isle neighborhood at around 10:30 p.m., the Glendale Police Department said.
Officers initiated a traffic stop and searched the vehicle, discovering a video surveillance device with a battery pack charging system camouflaged with leaves, police said.
Further investigation found freshly disturbed dirt in a planter on the suburban cul-de-sac, leading detectives to believe that the four men in the car had strategically placed the camera in the planter to view when homeowners would leave their residences, according to authorities.
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Officers also found a construction hard hat and a vest, items that potential thieves could use as a ruse to approach homes without suspicion, along with several jewelry boxes in the car.
Police identified the four Colombian nationals as Bryan Martinez Vargas, 28, Jose Antonio Velasquez, 28, Edison Arley Pinzon Fandino, 27, and 29-year-old Luis Carlos Moreno.
All four men were arrested for conspiracy to commit burglary.
The men are believed to be part of a transnational criminal operation known as "burglary tourism," which the department said involves thieves from South America who enter the U.S. "under the guise of tourism and target affluent neighborhoods for burglaries."
Police said Vargas had been arrested just three weeks earlier following a residential burglary and subsequent high-speed chase. Vargas and his alleged accomplice in that case, 45-year-old William Guanume, allegedly threw stolen items and a WiFi signal hammer, which can disable home security systems, from the vehicle during the police chase.
Glendale Police Chief Manny Cid said the latest arrest highlights the "ongoing challenges" that officers face to keep the community safe.
"While it is frustrating to apprehend the same suspect for a similar offense, it will not diminish our resolve to protect Glendale," Cid said. "Our officers are dedicated and will use every available resource to combat these crimes and ensure the safety of our residents."