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Holiday break-ins in South Charlotte thought to be part of international effort

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police say they’ve broken up a professional burglary ring that targeted south Charlotte homes over holiday weekends and sent the stolen goods to New York and South America.

Over a two-week investigation, CMPD tied four July burglaries to a group of five men and say the operation is likely part of a larger international ring. Police say the break-ins resemble about a dozen others in south Charlotte over the past two years.

Authorities couldn’t estimate the value of stolen goods, but said one home this month lost $30,000 in jewelry and other property. Police have arrested four men, and a fifth is still wanted. The men, originally from Colombia, have been living and operating in the Charlotte area since 2006, authorities believe.

CMPD detectives say the burglars knew which wires to cut to disable alarms, knew when residents weren’t home and stole mostly jewelry – taking time to select the most valuable pieces.

Police found binoculars and crowbars in one suspect’s car.

“What we normally see is thieves coming in from other parts of town on a whim. These guys, they spent some time,” said CMPD Capt. Rod Golding.

One of the suspects, 46-year-old Pablo Castro, was featured on “America’s Most Wanted.” He was wanted for immigration violations and was profiled on the TV crime show as a chronic offender with 51 felonies. Castro, also known as Refugio Miguel Bravo-Castanon, spent time in a New York prison for grand larceny.

The Charlotte burglary investigation began with a 911 call on July 18 about a suspicious car on Colony Road. An officer responded but didn’t stop the car because it had a valid tag and registration, police said. But the officer jotted down the tag number.

Fifteen minutes later, a Colony Road couple called 911 after surprising two burglars who ran from their home.

Officers combed through previous calls about suspicious vehicles in the neighborhood, and discovered the tag noted earlier belonged to a rental car. Rental car company records led police to a Pineville apartment.

The same day, officers found four men at the apartment, one matching the description of a suspect in the Colony Road burglary attempt.

A witness identified Christian Aguirre as one of the burglars, police said. He was arrested and charged with second-degree burglary.

The next day, officers returned with a search warrant and found two ounces of cocaine and items later identified as stolen from three south Charlotte homes, police said. They also found shipping labels to New York and Colombia.

Officers staked out the apartment and were on hand July 21 when three men arrived, police said.

Officers stopped them in their car and one bolted. Officers chased him and discovered they had captured the high-profile Castro – leading them to unravel international connections.

Police arrested Darwin A. Sierra Cruz on a charge of not having a driver’s license and found a duffel bag with $25,600 in cash in the car.

Three days later, police arrested Carlos Bonetti and charged him with cocaine trafficking and possession of stolen goods.

They’re searching for a fifth suspect, Fidel Emilio Sandoval.

The investigation is continuing.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/local/story/860312.html

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