Law enforcement investigate possible "crime tourism" in Colorado

When burglars tunneled through multiple businesses in Aspen on Nov. 10, trying to access a vault in a jewelry store, Larry White said it was unlike any burglary he had seen or heard of.

"Never. And I see a lot of things," said White, who has managed the Forre Fine Art gallery in Aspen for 20 years. The burglars got into White's art gallery then broke through walls trying to get into the adjacent jewelry store.

That attempted burglary has now drawn the attention of the FBI, as it appears to be a case of "crime tourism" or "burglary tourism," a phenomenon that appears to be on the rise with individuals from other countries traveling with the express purpose of committing burglaries of high-value targets.

Four men have been arrested in connection with the Aspen case. Two are from Chile; one is from Peru, and another is from Argentina.

Bill Linn with Aspen Police department told CBS News Colorado, "The concept of crime tourism generally does fit this." Linn went on to say, "[The Aspen case] is a little crazy. They burrowed their way through a couple of different walls and multiple businesses to get into the store where the burglary ... theft attempts were going to happen".

According to police and witness reports, burglars got into an Aspen restaurant on Nov. 10, then tunneled through a wall and into the Forre gallery, where they again tunneled through another wall to gain access to the adjacent Avi and Co. jewelry store.

When Larry White was summoned to the gallery, he found the burglars had brought ladders, acetylene torches, rotary hammers, cutting wheels, ladders, crowbars and a cutting torch.

"They were going fast and furious," White said. "They were clearly not anybody interested in art".

The burglars spray painted security cameras, disabled the gallery security system and sprayed foam along the ceiling, said White, attempting to disable motion sensors.

"That is my impression for sure," White said. "They came out of the country to do this kind of thing."

Police said, after cutting their way into the jewelry store, the burglars attempted to open the safe but were unsuccessful and left. They were apprehended the following day in Vail, where Vail Police Department said the men were detained after they were  suspected in a business theft.

According to an Aspen PD affidavit in the case, police in Aspen were aware of a large international group called the South American Theft Gang, which has members enter the U.S. on short-term visas and carrying false identifications. 

"They are a major flight risk," wrote Aspen PD. "And at this point, the identification provided to Vail Police Department cannot be confirmed without fingerprints, as they provided out of country identification."

The four men were arrested, and they are being held by Aspen authorities on burglary and conspiracy charges.

Aspen police said in an interview, one of the men said the group had been traveling the U.S. from Orlando to New York and Aspen for "tourism reasons." But investigators indicated the men's stories were riddled with holes and inconsistencies. And a search of their vehicle turned up "a lockpicking key, a pair of Ray Ban's containing hidden cameras and another small hidden camera." Police went on to say they also found welding goggles and "pants covered in drywall dust, spray paint cans, duct tape, a telescoping ladder, a walkie talkie and license plate covers to obscure their plate."

The case has drawn the attention of the FBI in Colorado. The agency has been assisting with a July burglary of the Hyde Park jewelry store in Denver's Cherry Creek mall. In that case, burglars entered the store after the mall was closed and stole undisclosed items. Police and store managers have not specified what was stolen or the value of the theft. The Denver Police Department said this week no suspects have been arrested in that case. A store manager said this week the case remains under investigation.

Vikki Migoya, public affairs officer for the FBI's Denver office, said, "We are aware of possible similarities between the burglaries and are in contact with our law enforcement partners investigating these crimes".

In August, a grand jury in California indicted six people who authorities said had been directing a crime tourism ring for years that had stolen millions of dollars in burglaries. 

"This group essentially acted as a linchpin for South American crime tourists who wanted to come to our country, take advantage of our liberties to steal from the American people," U.S. attorney Martin Estrada said. "This group not just facilitated crime tourism, but, in many cases, actively directed it."