Four Latin Americans who posed as Highland tourists broke into two affluent Inverness households, stealing over £23,000 in cash, designer goods and jewellery.
Members of the “housebreaking enterprise” later claimed in court that they had only met by accident in the city before the break-in plot was hatched.
The gang of thieves was so organised that one of them, a Colombian woman, was spotted carrying a walkie-talkie and wearing an earpiece during their illicit operation.
She was spotted as they targeted a house on Admirals View in the Westhill area of the city by smashing a rear window on July 6 last year, followed by a Holm home in Moriston Road.
Asian families were living in both properties raided by the crooks who seized a total of £23,200 worth of cash in various currencies, designer products, and jewellery.
Two Mexicans and two Colombians were caught and hauled to court
Two Mexicans and two Colombians landed in the dock at Inverness Sheriff Court and pled guilty to the two thefts by housebreaking.
Fiscal depute Emily Hood told the court that the first break-in was at the home of a couple living in Admirals View, Inverness.
Ms Hood said the house was left locked, but when the residents returned later that day, their security had been breached.
“During the afternoon, several witnesses reported a female being in the vicinity of the property.
“She was described as walking near to the locus with a cable running up to her head as if she was speaking to someone on a device.
“[One of the residents] immediately noticed the living room was in a state of disarray.
“On entering the kitchen, she saw one of the lower glass panels of the back patio doors to be smashed.
“She contacted [the other resident] to inform him of what she discovered, whilst she continued to check the property.”
The prosecutor went on: “She observed their beds, various drawers to have been rummaged in and items strewn across the floors.
“She discovered £3,000 in cash was missing from the bottom drawer of a bedside unit.
“Also missing was £5,000 in cash and £2,000 in Hong Kong dollars, a British passport, a Hong Kong Passport, a Hong Kong ID card and a purse.
“Downstairs, she discovered her Louis Vuitton bag containing her purse containing £10-£30, three bank cards and a driving licence were all missing.
“She estimated the cost to fix her door would be £400.”
Two Louis Vuitton bags, a Rado watch, Dolce and Gabbana and Gucci trainers, and a Pandora bracelet were among the stolen loot
Ms Hood then described what happened to the resident living at the second property on Moriston Road, Inverness.
He had locked it and left his home on the morning of Sunday July 7 2024.
“About 1530 hours, [the resident] returned home to find the front door unlocked.
“He entered the kitchen and observed the kitchen window to be smashed and the locking mechanism to be damaged, suggesting it had been forced open.
“The master bedroom had been forced open, and a screwdriver was on the floor next to the door.
“The bedroom was in a state of disarray, and all the cupboards and drawers had been ransacked, with items scattered all over the room.”
Ms Hood continued: “[The resident] checked the other rooms upstairs, which were all in a similar state to the master bedroom.
“He noted his black Louis Vuitton bag worth £2,500 was missing along with a Rado watch worth around £1,000, Dolce and Gabbana trainers, valued between £200 and £300, Gucci trainers worth £700, a Pandora bracelet worth £300, a small Louis Vuitton bag worth over £2,000, a belt and buckle worth between £200 and £350, and a Louis Vuitton belt worth between £200 and £300.
“A black holdall belonging to his mother-in-law was missing, along with wedding rings worth £300, gold bracelets worth £500, a swan necklace worth £300, and various jewellery totalling an estimated worth of £500.
“His friend’s Nike trainers had also been stolen from the address. Along with this, he noted £4,500 in cash was missing,” Ms Hood explained.
Police discovered CCTV cameras had captured a vehicle at both locations at the relevant times.
Footage showed that at Admirals View, there were two males present with a rucksack, one of whom was identified as Benitez.
CCTV video evidence from Moriston Road captured Gomez appearing to survey the area.
Police quickly traced the car on July 7 and recovered most of the cash and goods.
DNA analysis of the screwdriver found at Moriston Road matched with Martinez’s profile.
A swab from the floor of Admirals View, where blood was found, matched Benitez.
More items and cash were recovered during a search of the caravan.
‘This is a housebreaking enterprise, a vile offence of dishonesty’
Defence solicitors for the criminal quartet, Wille Young, Duncan Henderson, Patrick O’Dea and Marc Dickson could not offer any explanation why their clients had come together, after speaking to them through an interpreter.
They said they all bitterly regretted having become involved.
Colombians Marlon Avila, 31, and 36-year-old Andrea Gomez, and Mexican Eder Martinez, 41, were each jailed for 33 months.
Andres Benitez, a 51-year-old Mexican, was jailed for 30 months.
Benitez used a rented car, paid for and driven by Martinez, to transport the group’s haul to a caravan at the Old Mill Caravan site in Brodie.
Sheriff Cruickshank backdated the sentences to July 9 2024, when they were remanded into custody last year.
“No real explanation has been provided by any of you as to why you became involved in these crimes,” the sheriff told the fake tourists.
“I don’t believe for a minute that it was just happenstance for you to come together and then suddenly hatch this plan.
“This is effectively a housebreaking enterprise, which is a vile offence of dishonesty because you don’t just take away personal items, you take away part of a homeowner’s dignity and rob them of feeling safe in their own property.”
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