Wealthy California homeowners reveal they were robbed by 'burglar tourist' gang who 'hit the jackpot' by finding their hidden safe that they raided of luxury family heirlooms and jewels

A wealthy family was robbed of millions of dollars worth of family jewelry by a 'burglar tourist' gang who raided their hidden safe.

Carol and Jeff Starr of Orange County, California, had locked away their wedding rings, as well as highly valuable heirlooms passed down from Carol's late mother, in a six-foot-tall safe.

'They hit the jackpot,' Carol told CNN. 

'My mother loved beautiful things and she wanted to leave a legacy through jewelry,' Carol Starr said. 'She bought some beautiful antique jewelry, museum-quality jewelry.'

Prosecutors claim that the band of robbers hid in the hillside adjoining the Starr's home, watched them leave the house with visitors, and proceeded with the robbery.

A wealthy family was robbed of millions of dollars worth of family jewelry by a 'burglar tourist' gang who raided their hidden safe.

Carol and Jeff Starr of Orange County, California had locked away their weddings, as well as highly valuable heirlooms passed down from Carol's late mother, in a six-foot-tall safe.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said sometimes they will 'lie in wait in these ghillie suits so they remain camouflaged.'

'They came over our fence, they broke through a window in the upper bedroom and came through that window,' Jeff Starr told CNN. 'And then immediately started working … on the safe.'

The Starrs told CNN they believe they have lost around $8 million in valuables.

'You don't feel safe in your own home anymore,' said Carol. 'I get so emotional and so mad when I think about what could have happened.'

A relatively new phenomenon called 'burglary tourism' has become a growing issue in the United States.

These 'tourists' come into the United States from nations that are exempt from typical tourism visa requirements.

Experts say the issue has been increasing over the past five years, as South Americans continue to use the tourist visa system to rob Americans.

'You don't feel safe in your own home anymore,' said Carol. 'I get so emotional and so mad when I think about what could have happened.'

'Burglar tourists' come into the United States from nations that are exempt from typical tourism visa requirements, such as South America

Law enforcement experts say the foreign cells of professional burglars - mostly from Columbia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru - enter the country illegally or exploit a 2014 visa waiver program intended to spur tourism from dozens of trusted countries.

The program, known as ESTA - Electronic System for Travel Authorization - allows South Americans to enter the United States for an unlimited number of 90-day periods.

When the burglars arrive in the country, they band together and target luxury homes with intricate, well thought out plans, per the FBI.

The burglars will go to great lengths to remain hidden. For example, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said sometimes they will 'lie in wait in these ghillie suits so they remain camouflaged.'  

'They take advantage of the fact that most people don't have window sensors or motion detectors on their second floors. They have WiFi jammers to stop the alarm company from being notified.'

LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told the LA Times that despite the overall number of burglaries decreasing, this particular kind of theft has become a real issue. In one part of Los Angeles alone, Hamilton said 94 burglaries were believed to be committed by crime tourists.

'The number of crimes tied to these kind of crews are way, way up,' said LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton

In more conservative Orange County, District Attorney Todd Spitzer has gone full boar on the crime tourists who have been behind hundreds of break-ins

Hamilton said that these groups are rarely armed but are more likely equipped with what's known as 'jamming' devices to access a home's WiFi and potentially unlock home security systems in affluent neighborhoods

The LAPD sent out a tweet earlier this week pledging to use the task force to stop the problem

'They often target homes often connected to open spaces, hiking trails and canyons that give them access,' LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told the LA times.

The stolen items are usually sold quickly, and the profits are transferred back to the burglar's home country. 

Burglary tourism has become such a problem in Southern California, that LAPD launched a task force to combat the uptick of robbers.

Authorities announced the task force after a 17-year-old Chilean national was caught in Arizona following a series of jewel heists across the California city. The FBI set up its own task force to combat the thieves in 2022.

The suspect and his two accomplices - 32-year-old Grecia Romanduski Gaete Castillo and 23-year-old Sebastian Jesus Parraguez Soto, all from Chile - were taken into custody, where they admitted to breaking into several homes in the region. 

In fact, the 17-year-old - who has not been identified because of their age - was initially arrested weeks earlier in the Los Angeles area with three other Chileans for robbing homes.

Suspects: 32-year-old Grecia Romanduski Gaete Castillo (pictured right) and 23-year-old Sebastian Jesus Parraguez Soto (pictured left) were taken into custody

Experts say the issue has been increasing over the past five years, as South Americans use the tourist visa system to rob Americans

Scottsdale Police released video footage of recent thefts by South American 'burglary tourists'

The teenager falsified Venezuelan identification and continuously got away from the LAPD by making excuses that his parents had left him alone in the country with a friend of the family.

He then disappeared after he was turned over to the child and family services unit.

In more conservative Orange County, Spitzer has gone full boar on the crime tourists who have been behind hundreds of break-ins.

Spitzer's argued that the Chilean government, led by socialist President Gabriel Boric, refuses to give the US criminal histories of Chileans who use the program, which other South American countries typically do. 

He's even sued the federal government for not disclosing negotiations with Chile over visa requirements and is calling for new laws to stop these criminals from getting into the country. 

The Los Angeles Police Department has started a task force attempt to stop 'burglary tourists' who have been using the United States' tourism visa system to commit crimes

The LAPD posted on X, pledging to use the task force to stop the problem.

'LAPD recognizes the increase in burglaries where homes in affluent neighborhoods are targeted,' the post read.

'We're in the process of connecting with other agencies impacted by these organized groups coming to the country specifically to engage in this criminal activity.'