Seven people connected to a South American theft group arrested in Scottsdale

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Seven people are in custody, accused of being part of a South American theft group that has been linked to two burglaries in the Valley and more out of state.

Scottsdale police say on May 20, they received information from the Burbank, California police department about the group from Colombia that had allegedly committed burglaries all along the West Coast, and they could be heading to Arizona.

The group was located at a short-term rental property near Miller and Camelback roads, and police set up surveillance efforts on the group.

On Friday, Scottsdale detectives followed the group to two different residences, one in Tempe and one in Mesa.

After the burglaries, police served a search warrant on the short-term rental they were staying at and arrested all seven suspects without incident.

They also recovered evidence related to the burglaries in the search.

The seven people facing charges include 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 Guieto, and 25-year-old Angie Paola Hernandez-Manrique.

Police say along with stolen property recovered, a French Bulldog was also found in the search. That dog was confirmed to have been stolen from California, and reunification efforts are underway.

This is not the first case of a South American theft ring being active in the Valley.

Starting in November 2023 through April 2024, at least 140 cases in the Valley were linked to South American crimes groups.

At least three people were arrested last year in connection to some of those crimes.

It’s not clear if those cases and the cases in the last week are connected.