Three foreigners from Colombia were arrested as part of an investigation into the discovery of a hidden camera at a Calabasas, California residence earlier in the year. Riverside County Sheriffs published a statement indicating that three men, Jonathan Sierra-Rincon, 27, Dany Alejandro Aponte-Abaunza, 38, and Hames Lopez-Granados, 28, were arrested as part of the ongoing investigation. They’re all Colombian citizens, and police are still looking for a fourth man.
The arrests follow an incident from last May where a homeowner discovered a hidden camouflaged camera in their garden, pointed directly at their home.
It was unclear if the men were in the country legally or on tourist visas. Los Angeles police reported to the corporate press that South American gangs have been engaged in criminal burglary tourism in the United States, and the incidents have only become more common in recent years.
Authorities say that the thieves will target wealthy areas, and do reconnaissance in advance to determine when families leave their homes unoccupied for longer periods of time, facilitating burglary and theft.
All three men were charged with burglary and conspiracy charges.
Shortly before the camera was discovered by the family, another gang of criminals were arrested in Glendale as part of another investigation into international burglars. These men used a similar tactic: putting a hidden camera into a planter outside the home to observe movement patterns and plan the crime.
Democrats led by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have made border security incredibly lax over their administration, including allowing unvetted foreigners into the country on tourism visas. Many of these individuals could easily be blocked from flying in with a basic amount of vetting, say checking their names for criminal records in their countries of origin.
Chile is one country that the administration voided from vetting requirements for tourist visas less than 90 days.
Crimes from non-Americans who enter the country under questionable circumstances with little to no vetting have been an ongoing problem under the current administration.
