Loot worth 200,000 euros

Apartments Ransacked: Brothers from Chile in Custody

Stock image(Bild: Reinhard Holl)

A pair of Chilean brothers and their friend had been on a theft spree in Austria since at least mid-February—and were apprehended by detectives in March. Their haul is valued at around 200,000 euros. The three are now in pretrial detention. A gold dealer from Salzburg was also working with them.

Chilean burglary gangs have been wreaking havoc in Austria for some time now. It is thanks to a stroke of luck—as well as the keen instincts of Styrian investigators—that one such gang was recently brought to justice.

The three men—two brothers (ages 31 and 33) and a friend they met at a bar in Milan—rented a car in Italy using fake passports to travel to Austria. Once there, they rented Airbnb apartments. This was convenient, since no passport is required to rent an Airbnb, and there’s no need to deal directly with the landlord. In total, the men rented six apartments, including some in Graz, Klagenfurt, and Salzburg. From there, they traveled by car, train, or bus to the areas of their choice. However, they weren’t targeting houses or villas; instead, they preferred buildings with multiple ground-floor apartments or first-floor apartments. 

“There, they stole watches, jewelry, cash, and bags,” an investigator told the *Krone*. They either mailed the stolen goods to Chile or even sold them to a gold dealer in Salzburg. An interesting detail: The dealer even gave the men a gold testing kit to determine the value of the stolen goods. He then bought the goods from them in order to make a profit on them. Although the gold dealer himself denies the charges, the other suspects have incriminating testimony against him.

Criminal proceedings against the man from Salzburg ended on a lenient note—he even got off with a diversion. Since he is alleged to have sold precious metals below market value without verifying the buyer’s identity and without keeping records, he is likely to face further problems under commercial law.

Caught Just Before Departure
The three suspects were caught by chance: Shortly before leaving for Italy—they had gathered more than enough stolen goods—they caught the attention of a special patrol in the Graz city area. They were placed under surveillance and stopped while attempting to cross the border. The tools used in the crimes and the stolen goods were discovered in their rental car. The Leoben District Attorney’s Office ordered their arrest, and they have been in pretrial detention ever since. The men have generally confessed; they have been linked to at least 19 break-ins in Styria, Upper Austria, Carinthia, and Salzburg, with the value of the stolen goods totaling around 200,000 euros. “But the actual number is likely higher,” an investigator told the “Krone.”