Sheriff: 8 more burglaries committed by Chilean transnational gangs in Oakland County

OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - Residents in Oakland County being told to be on the look-out after a series of home break-ins in just the last week.

The sheriff says the suspects are brazen, international gangs are responsible for a rash of high end burglaries — eight in Oakland County in the past week.

"They come in an area they hammer it hard and then move on," said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. "We’re in a ramp-up period as we head into this time of year. That’s when got hit pretty hard about a year ago."

And it’s by the same culprit, according to Bouchard, transnational gangs from Chile, Columbia and Venezuela — their m.o. — stealing cash, high-end purses and jewelry, before high-tailing it out of the state.

"We had some pretty good arrests and charges and took a number of teams off the street and out of commission," Bouchard said. "But the problem is there are more teams coming in, and intelligence suggests over 100 teams just from Chile are doing these crimes across the country."

Sheriff Bouchard says these transnational gangs are targeting high-end communities like Rochester Hills, West Bloomfield and Novi. Be on alert, these guys are using sophisticated techniques.

"They jam wireless systems, they do pattern of life, they try to determine when you’re not home, to go then," Bouchard said. "Obviously they’ve had extensive training. They almost look like a special ops team in operation. The other folks, the Colombians and Venezuelans are coming illegally across the southern border."

Bouchard says the Chilean burglars are abusing the Visa waiver program to get past the border.

"Every group that we have arrested and charged in Oakland County have used that program," Bouchard said. "In this business we call that a clue. So we think that program needs to be stopped."

He says what you can do — keep an eye on your neighborhood — if you see something suspicious or out of place, give police a call.

"We’d rather check out 100 nothings than miss one real deal," Bouchard said.