Men cut through walls to break into an Aspen jewelry store, police say

Four South American nationals have been charged with burglary after allegedly using construction equipment to breach the walls of two Aspen businesses and break into a luxury watch store.

The men from Peru, Argentina and Chile were arrested in Vail on November 11 and may be connected to a “South American theft ring” in which people enter the US on short-term visas, create a web of false identities and target the high- end stores, Aspen police said in an arrest affidavit.

Aspen police officers responded to a shopping complex in the 600 block of East Cooper Avenue just before midnight on Nov. 10 after a burglar alarm went off. the Avi & Co watch store.

Officers initially found nothing unusual, but when a second burglar alarm went off in the watch shop around 1:30 a.m., police noticed that a ladder had been moved in the art gallery next door and began an investigation.

Investigators discovered that someone had cut holes in the drywall of a vacant restaurant to get into the art gallery and cut through the walls of the art gallery to get into the back room of Avi & Co. where they tried unsuccessfully to pry open a safe, the affidavit said.

This is the third burglary investigated in Colorado this month.

Officers in Arapahoe County investigate a series of “burglaries while eating‘ where thieves stole approximately $1 million worth of jewelry, designer wallets, cash and safes from multi-million dollar homes while the families were away.

Most burglaries in Arapahoe County occurred on Fridays between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., police said. Two to four suspects worked together to break through the exterior glass door of a home and search closets, dressers and bathrooms for valuables

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office also issued a warning this month about a high-tech burglary ring targeting Asian homes.

In Douglas County, burglars have specifically targeted the homes of Asians who own businesses, sheriff’s officials said. The group cut alarm system cables, jammed wireless internet signals to disable security cameras and took about $1 million in cash, jewelry and luxury items.

Sheriff’s officials said the ring, believed to operate in the United States, may also be part of the South American Theft Gang linked to the Aspen burglary.

Officers found construction equipment abandoned in the gallery, including hammer drills, Sawzall saws and a cutting torch. Investigators also found extensive damage to the businesses, including cut or torn electrical wires and equipment, black spray paint over security cameras and spray foam over doors and sensors.

Earlier in the evening, Aspen police had stopped a “suspicious” car for speeding that was carrying six people and was full of new construction equipment, the affidavit said. The men told officers they had driven from Glenwood Springs to a steakhouse, but the restaurant they mentioned, Hickory House, was not a steakhouse and they had already driven past it.