Crime Tourism Ring Busted, Millions in Illegal Proceeds Seized
Los Angeles, CA — The police have caught six people who they say were part of a big crime group. This group made millions of dollars by stealing things.
The police told everyone about this at a big meeting today. The crimes happened all over the country, but the person in charge was from Santa Clarita Valley.
The group had people from South America and other places who did many illegal things.
More Break-ins Worry Rich LA Neighborhoods
What the Crime Group Did
According to the 46-count indictment by police say Juan Carlos Poland, who is 57 years old, was the leader.
From 2018 to 2024, the group:
- Stole things from stores
- Broke into houses
- Used stolen credit cards
Poland owned a car shop and gave the group fake IDs and cars to use. The police think the group made about $5 million from these crimes.
How They Did It
Federal agents have conducted multiple searches, including enterprise car rental locations implicated in the scheme. In addition to the six arrests announced today, authorities revealed they have already detained over 100 people linked to these crimes since 2019. During the news conference, officials emphasized that this investigation remains ongoing, suggesting more arrests could follow.
The operation stands as part of a broader crackdown on “crime tourism,” where individuals travel into the U.S. expressly for the purpose of committing crimes. The stolen merchandise, credit cards, and money were often sent back to the facilitators, who then fenced or sold the items, pocketing a share of the profits.
What is “Crime Tourism”?
This is when people come to the U.S. just to do crimes. The stolen stuff and money were often sent back to the leaders, who would sell it and keep some of the money.
How This Affects People
These crimes happened in many places, so a lot of communities were hurt. The police say they’ll keep working to stop these kinds of crime groups.
“We want to stop these crimes and catch the people doing them,” a police officer said at the meeting.
The police will keep looking into this, so stay tuned for more news about it.
