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High-end Farmington Valley burglaries linked to Chilean crime group: Police

Midwest-based FBI could investigate after police say the group is also linked to crimes committed in other states.

AVON, Conn. — The investigation linked to South American groups began in 2020 after Avon police were called to residential burglaries.

“We had some residential burglaries that were very similar in M.O. to the burglaries we’ve had in January of this year,” said Lieutenant John Schmalberger of the Avon Police Department. 

Three years ago, a South American theft group was found to be at the center of burglaries. 

How did the police in Avon find out? Prosecutors in Nassau County began linking the same group behind high-end Farmington Valley burglaries with crimes committed on Long Island. The group is reportedly based in Chile. 

Schmalberger added, “When it happened again in 2023, we sort of reached out to some of the same departments and individuals we had contacted in 2020 and come to find out there was another South American theft group that was operating up and down the East Coast and into the Midwest.”

Turns out, Avon and Long Island’s problem is also a Midwest problem.

From the end of January to mid-February, Avon Police investigated nine similar home burglaries. The amount they typically investigate all year. Crimes were committed while homeowners were on vacation. 

Police now learning the group also targeting homes in the Midwest and that’s on the fed’s radar.

“The Indianapolis FBI office out there is interested in possibly taking these cases,” Schmalberger said.

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Police say these are groups of professional criminals who do their research and know when homes will be vacant. 

The branch of the F.B.I. based in New Haven says it stands ready to assist when needed.

Avon Police do encourage community members to be vigilant and to notify their neighbors if they’re going to be away or if they’re expecting any deliveries.

Samaia Hernandez is a reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at shernandez@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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