Scottsdale Police announce arrest of 'South American Theft Group' members
The Brief
Seven members of the alleged "South American Theft Group" were arrested on May 23.
Scottsdale Police were informed by other agencies that the group was coming to Arizona ahead of time.
The theft ring was tracked for multiple days and they are accused of two robberies on the same day in Mesa and Tempe.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Seven members of an alleged "South American Theft Group" (SATG) were arrested on May 23 for two burglaries.
The group is accused of committing both burglaries on May 23.
One was in Tempe at located near Southern Avenue and Loop 101 and the other in Mesa near Brown Road and Val Vista Drive.
They are also accused of burglaries in California, Oregon and Washington.
The backstory
According to Scottsdale Police, they learned from other agencies the group was headed to Arizona and booked a short-term rental near Camelback and Miller roads.
Police set up surveillance on the rental and followed the group as they coordinated and executed burglaries at the two homes.
The home in Tempe was burglarized around 12:25 p.m. and the Mesa home was burglarized about an hour later.
At 4 p.m. that day, SWAT team aided in conducting a search warrant at the property were all seven suspects were taken into custody and evidence of the burglaries was recovered by detectives.
The seven suspects include five people in their 20s and two in their 30s:
23-year-old Nicolas Rojas Leon
26-year-old Joan Sebastian Orozco-Vargas
38-year-old Andres David Sanchez-Novoa
26-year-old Natalia Isabella Ortiz-Daza
28-year-old Martha Juliana Echiverri-Guzman
32-year-old Lady Johanna Gueito
25-year-old Angie Paola Herandez-Manrique
What's next
The stolen property, including a French Bulldog believed to be taken during a burglary in California, will be returned to the victims.
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