Three individuals suspected of an elaborate residential burglary in Weddington's Highgate neighborhood on February 2, have been apprehended following a coordinated effort from multiple law enforcement agencies. According to a post by the Union County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Eddie Cathey announced the suspects were caught due to determined investigative work by his office in collaboration with state and federal agencies, despite having managed to escape before authorities arrived at the burglary scene.
After responding to the break-in call and despite a quick response which the suspects had already fled, detectives, SBI, HSI, and several local police departments worked to track down these suspects who were finally arrested in South Carolina. The three arrested, identified as Joiner Jhosuet Cortes Morales, Terry Stiven Cajamarca-Grijalba, and Cristian Hernan Pirajan-Rivera, are not strangers to the law. They are Colombian nationals with a criminal history of burglary spanning multiple states, and they now find themselves each under a secured bond of $300,000 at the York County Detention Center, with additional detainers from ICE.
Investigators have determined these individuals to be part of the South American Theft Group, a transnational criminal enterprise involving foreign nationals entering the US with the specific intent to commit high-end residential burglaries. The group is allegedly linked to more than ten incidents across the southeast in recent months and is thought to have carried out countless other burglaries nationwide. "These arrests are a direct result of determined, coordinated law enforcement efforts across multiple jurisdictions," Sheriff Cathey was quoted in the Union County Sheriff's Office post.
The ongoing investigation looks to uncover further connections to other break-ins in the area over the past two to three years. The Union County Sheriff's Office is urging the public to keep an eye out and report any suspicious activities. They have asked that anyone with information related to these or similar crimes contact their office or Union County Crime Stoppers. Working on their smartphones, the public can also submit tips through the UCSO's free application, available in app stores, to help in continuing to dismantle organized crime groups targeting communities.
