Feds Raid 'Amazon' Of Burglary Tourism With Arrests Across SoCal

LOS ANGELES, CA — A Los Angeles County man orchestrated a South American crime tourism ring targeting homes and businesses across Southern California and then laundered millions of dollars from the stolen goods, according to a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The indictment named seven defendants facing federal charges including wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy and structuring transactions to avoid financial reporting requirements. Most of the suspects were arrested during raids Wednesday in Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties.

“Crime tourism is a major problem impacting not just Southern California but our entire nation,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “These defendants facilitated and directed crime tourists who committed hundreds of robberies across the country — in essence, they acted as quarterbacks for a team of thieves. We will continue to work with our local partners to hold accountable those who would come to our country and take advantage of our liberties to steal from the American people.”

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer compared the criminal operation to one of the world's largest businesses.

"These criminals were running a burglary operation with a sophistication that rivals Amazon and instead of dispatching delivery drivers, they were dispatching trained thieves throughout Southern California to steal from what should be where we are safest — our homes," Spitzer said.

Federal prosecutors said the case paved the way for future efforts to combat a major new organized crime wave.

“Today, we dismantled a non-traditional facilitator of organized crime, and now we have a blueprint for future investigations,” said Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “We hope these arrests will discourage future businesses from conducting similar operations, thus reducing the number of thefts and burglaries in our communities.”

According to federal prosecutors, crime tourism theft groups are comprised of individuals often originating from outside the United States, including from South America and elsewhere, who engage in burglaries, thefts and other crimes throughout the United States. The loot is often shared with facilitators and co-conspirators who commission the crimes and help foreign nationals commit them.

"Make no mistake, this is not the end of our work; it is ongoing," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said at a Downtown Los Angeles press conference. "And recently, I've been meeting with residents from the valley, from Brentwood, Encino, and I just have to tell you that those neighborhoods have been terrified and terrorized by what has been happening. We have increased crime suppression efforts in these areas along with our partners, and we will continue this effort because obviously, the goal of all of us up here is to make our communities safer."

According to the indictment, Juan Carlos Thola-Duran, 57, a.k.a. "Parcero," of Canyon Country, and his live-in girlfriend, Ana Maria Arriagada, 41, a.k.a. "Parcera," controlled and operated defendant Driver Power Rentals, a Van Nuys-based car rental or dealership business. Arriagada was DPR’s registered owner.

From at least January 2018 to July 2024, Thola-Duran directed associates, often members of crime tourism theft groups traveling from South America, to travel to various parts of the United States to commit thefts, including shoplifting goods from stores, burglarizing residences and commercial businesses, and stealing victims’ credit cards and debit cards, federal prosecutors allege.

Thola-Duran, Arriagada and Driver Power Rentals provided vehicles for the thief co-conspirators to drive throughout the United States to commit thefts and burglaries, according to the indictment. They used fake IDs to make the car rentals appear legitimate, investigators said.

Following the robberies and burglaries, Thola-Duran and Arriagada directed the thiefs who stole credit or debit cards to immediately go to stores such as Target, Best Buy, The Home Depot, and others to max out the stolen cards by purchasing electronics, gift cards, designer purses and other high-end luxury goods before the stolen cards could be frozen or canceled, according to prosecutors.

The thieves were directed to mail their illicit goods to Driver Power Rentals and various co-conspirators including defendant Miguel Angel Barajas, 57, of Northridge, or to other conspirators at a FedEx store in Sherman Oaks, the indictment alleges.

"Thola-Duran then acted as a 'fence' to buy the goods — at a fraction of their retail value — and pay the thieves a percentage of the items’ value," federal prosecutors alleged in a written statement. He sold the stolen goods to other buyers for approximately $5.5 million over the course of the conspiracy, including approximately $5.1 million sent to various bank accounts controlled by the co-conspirators."

Prosecutors deemed it a "sophisticated and cautious scheme." It is alleged the defendants used their ill-gotten gains to purchase and maintain assets, including real estate and horses, and structured cash withdrawals to avoid triggering the requirement that banks report transactions exceeding $10,000 to the U.S. Treasury Department, prosecutors alleged.

On top of the burglaries and robberies, Thola-Duran, Arriagada, and others conspired to fraudulently obtain $274,998 in COVID-19 business relief loans, according to the Justice Department.

"Since 2019, we have arrested over 130 suspects responsible for perpetrating these crimes, with the vast majority using cars supplied by Driver Power Rentals," said Ventura County Sheriff James Fryhoff.

"Taking down a key operator who fueled crime tourism is essential to neighborhood safety," said Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko.

If convicted, the defendants would face decades in prison.