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Orlando business owner targeted by undocumented criminals: Deputies
Orange and Osceola County deputies teamed up to arrest five burglary suspects. Deputies said the gang targeted Asian business owners. They were arrested after stealing from Le Trinh's Orlando home, deputies say.
Five people police say are part of the "South American Theft Group" – a Colombia theft group that police say are targeting Florida homes and businesses – were arrested Oct. 20 after a robbery was caught on police drone camera. Police say the group targeted Asian business owners.
Now, the five suspects are on ICE detainers at the Osceola County Jail.
Wendy Farias-Suarez, Johan Beltran-Prieto, Laura Pedraza-Sarmiento, Julio Lozano-Trujillo and Elkin Cubillos-Jimenez (left to right) were arrested Oct. 20 in connection to multiple theft incidents. (Source: Orange County Sheriff's Office)
What we know:
Five people – Wendy Farias-Suarez, Johan Beltran-Prieto, Laura Pedraza-Sarmiento, Julio Lozano-Trujillo and Elkin Cubillos-Jimenez with the "South American Theft Group" – were charged by the Osceola County Sheriff's Office with burglary, grand theft and criminal mischief.
All five suspects, who live in Kissimmee, were booked into the Osceola County Jail with ICE detainers.
Caught in the act
The backstory:
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office first identified the group after several significant burglaries, the Osceola Sheriff's Office said.
Authorities said the group spent weeks casing homes and businesses across Central Florida. The South American Theft Group conducted "sophisticated style burglaries," the sheriff's office said, involving several weeks of surveillance on their target's homes or businesses, dribbling a basketball by a home to blend in and setting up trail cameras in the trees.
Two suspects disguised as landscapers leave an Orange County home with full bags. (Source: Orange County Sheriff's Office)
On Oct. 20, the group traveled in separate cars to the area of Mills and State Road 50 in Orlando. Two men, disguised as landscapers in straw hats and jeans, approached a home – belonging to Asian homeowners – while others acted as lookout, police said.
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During this incident, the Orange County Sheriff's Office captured the burglary by drone.
The two men carried a backpack and trash bag that appeared empty, Osceola Police said. They broke into the back door of a home and left approximately 30 minutes later with the bags now appearing to be full, officials said. The group met back up at a Kissimmee apartment complex, police said, and were arrested and taken into custody.
The South American Theft Group placed cameras in trees to study when homeowners would come and go, police said. (Source: Orange County Sheriff's Office)
What was taken?
After the group left the area, an Osceola deputy approached the home and confirmed the break-in, police said.
Items taken included four Louis Vuitton purses – a total value of $11,100 – Louis Vuitton shoes and $10,000 in cash, the Osceola Sheriff's Office said.
Two male suspects are seen leaving an Orange County home with full bags. (Source: Orange County Sheriff's Office)
What they're saying:
Le Trinh is the owner of SNS Spa Nail Supply. She said she never suspected she was followed.
Investigators said she was. For weeks. They said the suspects would walk by their targets' homes dribbling basketballs to blend in while they surveilled the home and the people inside.
Deputies shared pictures of hidden trail cameras they said the suspects set up to learn their victims' habits.
Deputies said the gang was active in October. It came to an end Monday when they were arrested following a break-in.
Trinh said they stole about $30,000 worth of items. She said she's thankful deputies retrieved the items and returned them so quickly.
"The first time when I [returned] to my house, when I saw the window broken and my door open, I feel like my heart jumped outside [of my body]," Trinh said.
Trinh said she is just a "regular business owner."
"I don’t how they followed me." Trinh said.Trinh said the thieves hit her home on her birthday."I can’t even eat and sleep," Trinh said. "Even now I’m still nervous."
Trinh said the items stolen hold greater sentimental value than what they're worth in dollars. She said some of the items were gifts from her parents, husband or children.
"There’s some stuff I bought more than 20 years ago," Trinh said. "Those are my souvenirs."
What we don't know:
It's not known how many burglaries the group allegedly committed in the Orange County area, nor which businesses were affected. It's not known how many owners of homes and businesses robbed by this group were Asian. The total monetary amount of items allegedly stolen is also not known.
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We also don't know if and when ICE will pick the undocumented suspects up from the Osceola County Jail. It is also not spelled out in the report why Asian business owners were targeted.
What's next:
It's possible the suspects are picked up by ICE, given they are being held on ICE detainers.
The Source: FOX 35 used reports from the Orange County Sheriff's Office and Osceola County Sheriff's Office and interviewed the theft victim as reported by deputies in their report.