South American 'Burglary tourists' strike again: Now foreign armed gangs are targeting wealthy San Diego neighborhoods after flying in to America on Visa Waiver Program

Organized criminal gangs have now begun targeting San Diego's wealthiest neighborhoods as part of an operation named 'burglary tourism,' according to a shocking new report. 

'The home is carefully selected. They’ve been watching from rented cars that blend into wealthy neighborhoods. They are masked, gloved and care little about cameras. They are in and out of your home in just minutes,' San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan told NBC this week. 

'When a burglary happens it’s your home, you never feel the same. This is organized. This is not some kid,' he added. 

The DA says that the gangs are emanate in South American and take advantage of the Visa Waiver Program which allows residents of certain countries come to the US after filling out an online form. 

Stephan said that although the program is supposed to help boost tourism, it has become the 'burglary tourist visa.'

The crooks target goods that they know they can turn around quickly, such as 'jewelry, coin collections, cash and high end purses.' 

A hooded group is shown prowling around a home in an affluent San Diego suburb, authorities says they're non-nationals who are in the US on tourist visas  

'The home is carefully selected. They’ve been watching from rented cars that blend into wealthy neighborhoods. They are masked, gloved and care little about cameras,' San Diego County's DA said this week

South American gangs armed with knives have been running wild on Los Angeles highways throughout 2024 - targeting terrified jewelers in brazen daytime robberies

Authorities have managed to apprehend eight suspects so far who are Chilean nationals, Stephan said. The DA said that as non-nationals, the suspects are tricky to identify. 

'The mother country has the responsibility to take care of business and make sure that they’re not allowing these visas for unvetted people with criminal records,' the DA went on.

The most recent robbery committed a burglary tourist gang in the San Diego-area took place on March 29. 

In February, a group stole a gun safe containing assault rifles in the Mira Mesa section of the city, The San Diego Union Tribune reported at the time. The crime remains unsolved. 

Despite existing extradition laws with countries that take advantage of the waiver program, Stephan said that authorities prefer to reserve that right for the most serious of crimes. 

The waiver system allows people from certain countries to enter the US for 90 days without restriction. 

Conservatives allege that once here, many from Sout 

In the Detroit-area, officials have said that they groups use military like tactics and have equipment that allows them to jam alarm systems 

One Republican sheriff in Michigan is calling on President Joe Biden to end the waiver system to Chile, were many of the suspects hail from 

Meanwhile 2,300 miles away in Detroit, officials this week said that they are preparing for a fresh wave of burglaries from Chilean tourists, reports The Detroit News. 

Authorities in the area said that the burglaries began in the city's affluent suburbs in 2023. The main targets for the crimes are Asian American families. 

Michigan investigators described the group as using 'military-like tactics' and wearing 'camouflage clothing.' They are armed with electronics that can jam home alarms and have the capability to crack safes. 

'We saw these gangs come to Bloomfield Township in February of 2022, and that crew was captured and linked to similar cases in Indiana,' Bloomfield Township Police Officer Nick Soley told The Detroit News this week. 

'We didn't see any cases for a while, and then toward the end of the summer (of 2023), we got hit hard up until about Thanksgiving week,' Soley went on. 

'We knew these gangs would be back, and we're confident they are back. We think they're going to stick around, so we're definitely preparing for it.'

Local Republican Sheriff Michael Bouchard of Oakland County called on President Joe Biden to remove Chile from the waiver program as a result of the crimes. 

Other burglary gangs enter the US illegally from countries such as Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. 

 Closer to San Diego, in Los Angeles,  criminals brazenly slash tires, shatter windows, and even plant trackers on their victims' cars.

One jeweler, Stacy Nolan Soper, found herself in danger on October 18 as she drove home from downtown LA's jewelry district with a bag of valuable merchandise.

Soper's vehicle was suddenly ambushed by masked thieves on the ramp from the westbound 10 Freeway to the southbound 405.

'It seemed like [he] was going to attack me,' Soper told the LA Times. As traffic slowed, a car ahead stopped abruptly, and three men, including two wearing ski masks, attacked her vehicle - slashing tires, smashing windows, with one whipping out a weapon - resembling something out of an action movie.  

Soper's experience mirrors several similar incidents targeting jewelers on Los Angeles freeways.

Another jeweler from Hong Kong fell victim to a robbery on the eastbound 10 just six days later.

The shocking moment the driver was driven off the road and then robbed in broad daylight as he kneeled on the road with his arms in the air was caught on camera. 

Four men with ski masks, intentionally crashed into a black-colored Alfa Romeo on the eastbound I-10 west of Arlington Avenue in South Los Angeles.

One jeweler, Stacy Nolan Soper, found herself in danger on October 18 as she drove home from downtown LA's jewelry district with a bag of valuable merchandise

 'The victim vehicle was rendered disabled, as the suspects proceeded to rob the victim,' the California Highway Patrol later confirmed.

A passenger in a passing car filmed the terrifying moment the robbers surrounded the victim and began rifling through his vehicle.

Police said the suspects, who were armed with a hammer and a crowbar, then fled from the scene in a white Chevrolet Malibu.

A witness, who also filmed the incident, later told Eyewitness News 'it seems like they knew what he had in his car... I felt really bad for him, I thought it was over for him but he did the right thing.' 

Organized crime and theft have become an increasing problem for the Dem-led city with officials blaming zero cash bail policies.

This escalating trend, including additional thefts in Orange County, reveal a coordinated effort by South American gangs. 

Authorities, including the LAPD's Commercial Crimes Division and the California Highway Patrol, are investigating these crimes.

According to Captain Francis Boateng, the heists follow a pattern: thieves target jewelers in transit, creating scenarios to force them to stop, such as slashing tires or staging accidents.

These highway heists look like a scene out of an action film, as they exploit the freeways' potential for trapping victims and delaying authorities' response.

LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton emphasized the continued presence of such gangs, while highlighting that recent incidents reveal a surge in their activity. 

'There is not one crew doing all these crimes,' he said to the LA Times. 'Basically these individuals crew up for individual jobs or series of jobs.' 

The Los Angeles Police Department launched a taskforce in March in a bid to crack down on burglary tourists.