Seven members of a “South American Theft Group (SATG)” were arrested on Friday for their involvement in two burglaries in the Phoenix area, authorities said Saturday.
The Scottsdale Police Department said that both heists, one in Tempe and the other in Mesa, took place on May 23.
Police said all seven suspects were nabbed on Friday at the short-term rental where they were staying.
The Burbank Police Department in California alerted Scottsdale Police about the gang on May 20. They were alerted of a Colombian SATG squad that had allegedly committed burglaries in California, Oregon, and Washington and was probably on its way to Arizona.
A French Bulldog was among the stolen belongings in California, and police said it will be returned to its owner.
investigators in California provided the group’s car descriptions and other details with Arizona investigators. Detectives in Scottsdale eventually located the culprits at the short-term rental house, according to authorities.
“They observed all seven suspects coordinate and participate in burglary activity at both locations,” according to a police report.
The accused were named as Nicolas Rojas Leon, 23; Joan Sebastian Orozco-Vargas, 26; Andres David Sanchez-Novoa, 38; Natalia Isabella Ortiz-Daza, 26; Martha Juliana Echiverri-Guzman, 28; Lady Johanna Gueito, 32; and Angie Paola Herandez-Manrique, 25.
Each suspect was ordered imprisoned in the Maricopa County Jail pending “numerous criminal charges” on $150,000 cash-only bail.
Authorities monitored the group from May 20 to May 22 and tracked them down to the burglarized properties on May 23, according to police.
