A Chilean burglary gang who posed as tourists to steal more than £80,000 worth of goods from homes in Surrey and London have been jailed for a total of 17 years.
Between 3 November and 11 December last year, the group carried out at least 11 break-ins in affluent areas.
They scaled first and second floors of houses and flats, forcing entry with tools before ransacking properties for watches, designer clothing and jewellery.
In one raid in Epsom on 3 December, residents returned to find their Christmas presents unwrapped and discarded in the lounge.
On 3 November, thief Israel Contreras, 22, dropped his mobile phone while fleeing a property in Hillingdon. Inside, police found screenshots from a mapping app with pins dropped on homes across London. DNA from Contreras was also recovered from a broken angle grinder blade left behind at a burglary in Esher, linking the series of offences.
Contreras was the first to be detained, arrested on 5 December while attempting to board a flight to Chile from Heathrow Airport. He was charged with conspiracy to commit burglary.
On 11 December, officers stopped the rest of the gang in a red Hyundai on Fulham Palace Road, west London. The driver, Eduardo Marquez, 29, attempted to reverse and ram his way out but the vehicle was boxed in. Police found jewellery in his pockets taken from burglaries earlier that day, as well as a crowbar tucked into his waistband and other tools concealed in his clothing.
The passengers were identified as Yeico Fernandez, 25, who had landed from Chile that same morning and joined the gang within hours to start robbing houses, and Michael Carrasco, 28. Both were arrested with jewellery and stolen goods in their possession.
At Guildford Crown Court, Contreras was sentenced to five years and three months; Marquez to six years and nine months; Fernandez to two years and nine months; and Carrasco also to two years and nine months.
Investigating officer Sergeant Ben Deacon said: “We know the devastating physical and emotional impact burglary has on victims and the wider community. It gives me great satisfaction that on this occasion, and many others that don’t necessarily get reported, that we have been able to deliver some justice to the victims of these crimes.”
He add: “Finally, on the off chance any would-be-burglars are reading this, I want them to understand the following: Contreras thought he had got away with his crimes, but was arrested on his way home at Heathrow, minutes from freedom. Fernandez entered the UK with sole intention of thievery but spent less than 12 hours at large in this country prior to spending years in prison. And Marquez and Carrasco did not see us coming and won’t be free for a long time. This group have been on remand in prison since their arrests and will all be subject to deportation once their sentences have been served.”
