FBI and Chilean police take down international gang

1/5/2025 5:45

Chilean police forces,

aided by the FBI, took down an international gang of thieves

that carried out robberies in the United States, authorities

said on Wednesday.



The raid, codenamed "Operation Pennsylvania," took place

across dozens of homes in Santiago on Tuesday night and led to

the arrests of 23 people and seizure of 1.3 billion pesos ($1.36

million) worth of goods and real estate, according to police.



"This phenomenon of international thieves has regretfully

existed in our country for many years, but it's unfortunately

been on the rise recently," prosecutor Eduardo Baeza said during

a press conference, adding that they historically operated in

Europe but have been focusing more on the United States

recently.



Chileans have been arrested in recent high-profile

robberies, including the theft of U.S. Homeland Security

Secretary Kristi Noem's purse in a Washington restaurant this

month and a series of break-ins to the homes of professional

athletes, including Kansas City Chiefs football player Travis

Kelce, boyfriend of pop star Taylor Swift.



Johnny Fica, head of the Investigative Police of Chile's

(PDI) money and asset laundering division, said many of the

detainees had no criminal records in Chile but were career

criminals abroad that laundered assets in Chile.



Fica said the investigation began last year and was carried

out with information from the FBI. Images from the raid show

drawers filled with iPhones, luxury watches, cars, purses and

shoes.



"What you see is part of a life of luxury they had here in

Chile. A lot of them liked to show off," Fica said, adding that

many of the groups were family or close-knit units.



"Their goal was clear, they wanted to enjoy the profits of

their crimes in this country and they didn't skimp on spending

because they felt like they had, until now, impunity."