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THURSDAY, JANUARY17 TO WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2019. OAKVILLE - Halton police sayOAKVILLE - Halton police sayO that they have assisted Austra- lian authorities in smashing an alleged Chilean crime syndicate, which was previously active in Halton and across the GTA. The group first came to the at- tention of Halton police in late 2017, when officers began noticing an increase in residential break- ins in the region. The suspects - which included both men and women - would break up into groups of two to four and random- ly target homes. Police said that one person would knock at the home's front door to see if anyone was home. If no one answered, police al- lege the suspects would break-in through a rear door. Once inside, the thieves would target jewelry, watches, cash and designer clothes - and be out of the home within three to six minutes. "We estimate that approxi- mately 70 families have been vic- timized by having their homes broken into here in Halton in the last couple of months," said Hal- ton police Chief Stephen Tanner during an April 4, 2018 news con- ference.ference.f "Probably close to 400 resi- dences were victimized across To- ronto." A Halton police investigation resulted in four search warrants being executed in Mississauga and Toronto in late March 2018. During these raids, police made 15 arrests and recovered $2.7 million worth of property al- legedly stolen during the break- ins. Police said that all of those ar- rested were Chilean nationals who came to Canada on tourist vi- sas. Det. Sgt. Paul Foley said three of these suspects are being held pending trial, one is being held pending extradition to New York City, six have been deported back to Chile and five are being held pending deportation. He pointed out that despite 14 people being arrested, there were still other members of this alleged break and enter ring at large whom Halton police had issued arrest warrants for. It was during the course of in- vestigating the whereabouts of these individuals that Halton po- lice discovered social media posts that indicated these people were now in Sydney, Australia. "Out of courtesy to the Austra- lian authorities, one of our inves- tigators contacted them and basi- cally gave them the heads up. Made them aware of our project and our investigation, and in- formed them that we thoughtformed them that we thoughtf some of these individuals were in their country," said Foley. "They took it from there." The Australian authorities ap- parently put the information from Halton police to good use.from Halton police to good use.f Throughout November and December 2018, the New South Wales Police Force made eight ar-Wales Police Force made eight ar-W rests in connection with 80 break- ins to homes, which had taken place across Sydney during Sep- tember, October and November 2018. Police said that all those ar- rested are Chilean nationals. Australian media reported that $1.2 million worth of luxury goods were stolen during these break-ins. Australian police alleged that the group targeted homes and luxury stores in Sydney, and then sent the stolen goods to a man and woman in Melbourne - who would send the products back to Chile. "What they were doing there was almost exactly what they were doing here," said Foley. He said three of those arrested in Australia are wanted for crimes in Halton. It is unclear at this time if Hal- ton police will seek to extradite them. Halton police Deputy Chief Nishan Duraiappah took to social media on Jan. 10 praising the in- ternational co-operation, which led to the arrests of these suspects overseas. News of the arrests in Australia was also well-received by Foley. "Obviously, we are quite pleased," he said. "We want the citizens of Halton to know that we are constantly looking. A case doesn't end when some charges are laid. We are con- tinuously pursuing these individ- uals. To see these kinds of suc- cesses is definitely a feather in the cap." It is unclear if this alleged syn- dicate has now been fully disman- tled, or if it continues to operate in other countries around the world. Halton police confirmed it has previously operated in New York City and in several other provinc- es across Canada. HALTON POLICE HELP AUSTRALIAN AUTHORITIES SMASH ALLEGED CHILEAN CRIME SYNDICATE DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com NEWS Recovered property allegedly stolen during a series of break-ins in Halton and across the GTA is displayed by Halton police at the Oakville Police Station Wednesday, April 4. Police announced the arrest of 14 individuals allegedly involved in a break and enter ring. Group apparently came to the area from Chile. David Lea/Metroland