The Abington Township Police Department, in partnership with Montgomery County detectives and U.S. Marshalls, recently dismantled a South American theft ring targeting Asian business owners in the Delaware Valley, New York and Ohio, 6ABC reported.

Chief Patrick Molloy told 6ABC the criminal organization began its local operation in 2024 and is made up of Colombian nationals who lived in Queens, New York. Molloy said that they used signal jammers, GPS trackers and cameras to follow their victims then pose as delivery drivers in order to break into homes. In one case, they broke in when children were home.

According to NBC10, the group used real estate records to identify Asian homes and business owners and dispatched five individuals to the area to identify homes and businesses to target. 

At least 10 incidents were reported in Montgomery, Chester and Bucks counties in a four-month period. At least 12 suspects have been arrested so far, each of whom are facing several charges, including burglary and criminal conspiracy.

Police advise residents to be hyper-vigilant and increase home security as they search for more suspects.

6ABC’s video coverage is below:

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Screengrab: 6ABC