7 members of South American theft group arrested for Phoenix burglaries
Seven members of a "South American Theft Group (SATG)" were arrested Friday for their involvement in two Phoenix-area burglaries, authorities said Saturday.
Both heists – one in Tempe and another in Mesa – were committed on May 23, the Scottsdale Police Department said.
All seven suspects were arrested on Friday at a short-term rental where they were staying, police said.
Scottsdale Police were alerted to the group on May 20 by the Burbank Police Department in California. They were warned about a SATG group from Colombia that had allegedly committed burglaries in California, Oregon and Washington, and were possibly headed to Arizona.
Among the stolen property in California was a French Bulldog, which will be given back to its owner, police said.
Authorities in California shared the group's vehicle descriptions and other information with Arizona authorities. Scottsdale detectives eventually tracked the suspects down to the short-term rental property, police said.
From May 20-22, authorities watched the group and followed them to the burglarized homes on May 23, police said.
"They observed all seven suspects coordinate and participate in burglary activity at both locations," a police statement said.
The suspects were identified as: Nicolas Rojas Leon, 23; Joan Sebastian Orozco-Vargas, 26; Andres David Sanchez-Novoa, 38; Natalia Isabella Ortiz-Daza, 26; Martha Juliana Echiverri-Guzman, 28; Lady Johanna Gueito, 32; and 25-year-old Angie Paola Herandez-Manrique.
Each suspect was ordered held in the Maricopa County Jail pending "numerous criminal charges" on $150,000 cash-only bonds.
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