Seven people are charged in what the Justice Department describes as an intercontinental "crime tourism" ring that targeted affluent locations across the nation so that more than $5 million in stolen goods could be shipped to South America. Federal prosecutors describe the operation as a concierge service of sorts for criminals, where bands of thieves from South America came into the Los Angeles area and were given cars and directions to upscale areas across the country that ring organizers felt were ripe for burglaries, shoplifting and fraud. "In essence, they acted as quarterbacks for a team of thieves," said Martin Estrada, U.
S. Attorney for the Central District of California. “Crime tourism is a major problem impacting not just Southern California, but our entire nation.
" Once they received cars and leads for where to go, the thieves fanned out to other states and launched "theft crime sprees," according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
They are believed to have committed hundreds of robberies across the country, Estrada said. Juan Carlos Thola-Duran, Ana Maria Arriagada, John Carlo Thola, Patricia Enderton, Miguel Angel Barajas and Federico Jorge Triebel IV were indicted by a grand jury in June for what the DOJ said in a Wednesday statement is widespread burglary, theft and other crimes throughout the country from January 2018 to about July 2024. The department alleges they sent the illicit property and profits to South American countries.
According to the indictment.