A pre-dawn raid has disrupted a New York City gang made up of illegal immigrants who carried out robberies across the city, according to police.
Police believe the seven people arrested are linked to more than 60 crimes, according to WPIX.
“Most migrants come to NYC in search of a better life. Sadly, some come to commit crimes. While the rest of NYC was sleeping, @NYCMayor @NYPDChiefPatrol @NYPDDetectives joined @NYPDnews investigators & specialized teams as we carried out a search warrant — booming a door and making arrests. Today we made tremendous progress in the largest robbery pattern plaguing our city. Our message is simple — commit a crime in our city and we will find you and bring you to justice!” NYPD Assistant Commissioner Kaz Daughtry posted on X.
Most migrants come to NYC in search of a better life. Sadly, some come to commit crimes.
While the rest of NYC was sleeping, @NYCMayor @NYPDChiefPatrol@NYPDDetectives joined @NYPDnews investigators & specialized teams as we carried out a search warrant — booming a door and… pic.twitter.com/1KkTHQ6HYC— NYPD Assistant Commissioner Kaz Daughtry (@NYPDDaughtry) February 5, 2024
The group would allegedly steal cell phones by grabbing phones or purses from people walking the streets, using thieves on scooters to grab the phones. The gang’s own IT technician would then crack the phones and use the information to steal, police alleged.
Through raiding bank accounts and making fraudulent purchases, hundreds of thousands of dollars were stolen from victims.
Scooter operators made $100 a day; phone snatchers received $300 to $600 per phone, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.
“These perpetrators are part of a sophisticated criminal enterprise made up of immigrants who have recently arrived in the United States,” Kenny said.
NYPD Commissioner Eddie Caban said some suspects have no photos, social media presence or other connections, and many at the lower level of the criminal pyramid do not know each other.
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“They’re essentially ghost criminals,” Caban said.
The raid took place at the apartment of Victor Parra, a Venezuelan migrant who police claim is the leader of the crew and remains at large, according to CBS.
“The crimes in this pattern involved multiple thieves on mopeds, snatching cellphones and purses from victims. These thieves would ride up behind their victims on the sidewalk, steal their property, and then make their getaway. The majority of the victims are women, simply just walking alone. We have seen that the mopeds used in these crimes are also stolen as well,” Kenny said.
“This network of thieves predominantly live in the migrant shelter system. They use social media platforms to organize and coordinate their thefts,” Kenny said.
Tax-payer supported migrants who moved to NYC have caused a surge in crimes. In the past year alone there was more than 1,200 arrests for crimes including endangering children, assaults, grand larcenies and robberies. pic.twitter.com/98f1UrK039
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) February 4, 2024
Officials claimed New York City will not tolerate crime by illegal immigrants.
“This administration, police department, we’ve always talked about welcoming asylum seekers. But once you start robbing people and stealing from them, your status is criminal, and you’ll be treated as such,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner Tarik Sheppard said,
“It doesn’t matter if a person is a migrant, asylum or if the person is a long-term New Yorker. You break the law, it’ll be investigated, and it will be handled by our criminal justice system,” Mayor Eric Adams said. “You should not be allowed to walk the streets of the city of New York if you are committing any form of criminal behavior that’s impacting the quality of life of New Yorkers.”
“It doesn’t matter where you are from, no matter who you are, if you break the law you are going to feel the full weight of this police department,” he said, according to WPIX.
