PHOENIX — Three more people are facing charges in connection to an uptick in burglaries striking the Valley, bringing the total to six, according to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office (MCAO).
The most recent arrests came from Scottsdale, where police said Grecia Romanduski Gaete Castillo, Sebastion Jesus Parraguez Soto and an unnamed juvenile allegedly planned to break into an empty home.
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MCAO said one of those suspects admitted to being in the United States on a tourist visa and was involved in burglaries in California, Nevada and Arizona.
"They seem surprised that they're being held accountable here," Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said. "I think they come from jurisdictions where below a certain dollar amount is not being prosecuted. They're not being held on bail."
Mitchell said the adults in these cases are each being held on $200,000 cash bail.
All six are believed to be part of a South American theft group that sends people from Chili to the U.S. on inexpensive visas. When they arrive, they obtain fake IDs and spread out across the country breaking into homes.
“They certainly should avoid coming here because they will be held accountable," Mitchell said. “If they come here and commit crimes, they need to plan to stay.”
Police reported more than 100 of these burglaries since November.
Investigators are working to figure out if these suspects could have been involved in other unsolved cases.
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