Scottsdale Police announce arrest of ‘South American Theft Group’ members

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Seven members of an alleged “South American Theft Group” (SATG) were arrested on May 23 for two burglaries.

The group is accused of committing both burglaries on May 23 in Tempe and Mesa.

They are also accused of burglaries in California, Oregon and Washington.

The backstory:

According to Scottsdale Police, they learned from other agencies the group was headed to Arizona and booked a short-term rental near Camelback and Miller roads.

Police set up surveillance on the rental and followed the group as they coordinated and executed burglaries at the two homes.

The home in Tempe was burglarized around 12:25 p.m. and the Mesa home was burglarized about an hour later.

At 4 p.m. that day, SWAT team aided in conducting a search warrant at the property were all seven suspects were taken into custody and evidence of the burglaries was recovered by detectives.

The seven suspects include five people in their 20s and two in their 30s:

• 23-year-old Nicolas Rojas Leon
• 26-year-old Joan Sebastian Orozco-Vargas
• 38-year-old Andres David Sanchez-Novoa
• 26-year-old Natalia Isabella Ortiz-Daza
• 28-year-old Martha Juliana Echiverri-Guzman
• 32-year-old Lady Johanna Gueito
• 25-year-old Angie Paola Herandez-Manrique

What’s next:

The stolen property, including a French Bulldog believed to be taken during a burglary in California, will be returned to the victims.