How terrifying immigrant gangs are targeting Americans’ homes… and yours could be next

The burglaries at the homes of Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce have opened America’s eyes to a growing criminal threat; high-tech, intelligence-driven attacks orchestrated by criminals overseas.

Forget the old school masked house burglars carrying fancy bags. These crooks are closer to an Ocean’s Eleven movie, using drones, camouflage suits and wifi jammers to attack multimillionaires’ mansions.

Athletes attacked the homes of NFL players while they were on the field, raising fears of more break-ins on Thanksgiving Day when the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and others will play to packed stadiums.

Gang members operate across the United States but are affiliated with networks in South America, including Tren de Aragua (TdA), a violent group that originated in Venezuelan prisons but is now causing turmoil across the hemisphere.

Experts told DailyMail.com that poor security at the southern border is allowing criminals to enter the US and called on the wealthy to lock up their valuables as this crime wave is set to get worse.

“We’re a long way from overcoming this,” Michael Barbieri, security expert at Global Intelligence Consultants, told DailyMail.com.

‘This is the work of an international cartel of highly intelligent individuals using drones, GPS tracking devices and surveillance. ‘All this doesn’t happen by chance.’

At least three professional sports leagues have warned players in recent weeks about skilled burglars breaking into athletes’ homes while they are at work or traveling for a game.

US hosts hit by wave of ‘burglary tourists’ from South America who now appear to be targeting famous athletes

Burglars reportedly targeted Mahomes’ luxury home in Kansas around midnight on October 6

These warnings come after burglaries at the homes of NBA and NFL players, including Mahomes, Kelce and Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis.

Mahomes and Kelce’s homes in Kansas City were raided within hours of each other in early October, when the Chiefs were hosting the New Orleans Saints.

The thieves made off with $20,000 in cash and caused $1,000 in damage to Kelce’s home, according to a police report obtained by NBC.

Mahomes described his ordeal as “frustrating” and “disappointing.”

It’s ‘something you wouldn’t really want to happen to anyone else, but obviously yourself,’ he said.

Portis said thieves stole “most of my valuables” during the Nov. 2 raid. It is not yet clear whether the stars were targeted by criminals overseas or by US-based criminals.

Barbieri noted how Mahomes’ burglars broke into his gated community and then his home without arousing suspicion; This indicated that they had insider help.

He suspects electricians, maids, plumbers or other tradesmen of working on a wealthy person’s property and then selling their security details to a cartel that staged a raid.

This involves using drones or surveilling properties, posing as runners or grounds maintenance personnel, to figure out how to enter the property and when the property will be vacant, Barbieri said.

An NFL security bulletin said scammers use game schedules, social media and other publicly available sources to determine when to attack.

Players were advised to step up their security, hire reliable house sitters, hide their valuables, and avoid posting online about their jewelry collections, luxury watches, or flashy outfits.

Travis Kelce’s stolen watch was recovered by police after his mansion was broken into

Kelce’s $6 million estate in Leawood, Kansas (pictured) was raided by thieves in October

Los Angeles police warn of wave of ‘burglary tourists’ from South America attacking homes in Southern California

Patrick Mahomes reportedly increased security after burglars broke into his mansion

They were also advised to remove real estate photos of their interiors.

An NBA alert warned of ‘well-organized, sophisticated criminal gangs’ based in South America. It was claimed that thieves raided houses without activating the alarm systems.

The FBI declined to comment to DailyMail.com about their investigation.

The leagues’ warnings come amid growing fears that ‘thieving tourists’ are flying into the US under the visa waiver program in disguise and with other equipment, targeting plush properties in gated communities.

Mobile criminals have been operating for the past five years but attacks have intensified in recent months as more information about potential targets becomes available online.

Mansions in Orange County, California, were the first targets of a crime wave that spread throughout the Golden State and into North Carolina, Illinois, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and beyond.

The FBI arrested six South Americans in Southern California in August for allegedly targeting nearly 120 wealthy households and businesses in 80 U.S. cities starting in 2018, causing more than $35 million in losses.

Prosecutors say the members ran a rental car business that provided criminals with tools and information about target homes, and then laundered the proceeds by protecting the loot.

In May, six Chileans were indicted in New Jersey for allegedly running another theft ring that involved the removal of valuable collections of pearls, gold and diamond jewelry, rare coins and other loot.

Sheriff Grady Judd warned in August that a highly organized Colombian burglary ring had stolen $1.7 million in cash and jewelery in several raids on ‘high-end’ properties in Florida’s Polk County.

Hillsborough Police, south of San Francisco, warn public about ‘criminal tourists’ traveling to the US from South America and targeting wealthy communities

Sheriff Grady Judd warns that a Colombian gang stole $1.7 million in cash and jewelry in several raids in Florida

Judd says members of ‘South American Robbery Group’ find it very easy to enter US

As Venezuela’s TdA gang expanded rapidly in the late 2010s, burglary tourism also worsened, said Joseph Humire, director of the Center for a Secure Free Society, a think tank.

He said the group’s tattooed bosses formed a ‘complex network of criminal alliances’ that included members of the Los Gallegos and Los Pulpos gangs operating in Ecuador and Peru.

“TdA is a state-sponsored transnational criminal organization that has strengthened criminal networks in Latin America and brought this advanced form of crime to the United States,” Humire told DailyMail.com.

Barbieri partly blames the Biden Administration for allowing an influx of foreigners across the southern border, mostly people seeking jobs, security and opportunity, but in some cases intent on committing crimes.

“If you allow 15 or 20 million people to cross the border without proper vetting, you will definitely catch these gang members,” Barbieri said.

‘We now suffer the consequences of an open border.’