Police say the suspects are believed responsible for more than 10 residential break-ins and may have ties to a broader criminal network.
Irvine police arrested six people, including four 17-year-olds, believed to be part of a professional South American residential burglary crew that operated across multiple neighborhoods in one of Orange County’s most affluent cities for more than a year.
Detectives conducted arrest operations on June 24 in Bellflower, Huntington Beach and Los Angeles, taking all six suspects into custody:
- Darlyn Alejandra Acosta Serrano, 32, Huntington Beach
- Andres Zarate, 32, Bellflower
- Unidentified Female, 17, Huntington Beach
- Unidentified Male, 17, Los Angeles
- Unidentified Male, 17, Los Angeles
- Unidentified Male, 17, Los Angeles
Over the past year, police say the crew is believed responsible for more than 10 residential burglaries in neighborhoods throughout Irvine. Investigators built the case through months of surveillance and evidence collection before moving to make arrests across three separate cities in a single operation.
The question of how deep the organization runs remains open. Police are still investigating whether the six suspects were operating their own ring or may be part of a larger organization. “There are a lot of people associated with this case, but we believe they are the main suspects responsible for these burglaries,” Irvine police spokesperson Ziggy Azarcon told the Los Angeles Times.
It also remains unclear whether the crew is connected to the broader burglary tourism trend, in which foreign nationals enter the U.S. specifically to commit residential burglaries before returning home. In 2024, Chilean nationals were linked to break-ins in the Pacific Palisades and East Hollywood, while multiple Colombians were arrested in Burbank as part of a pattern that has drawn attention from law enforcement agencies across Southern California for several years.
Irvine has been a repeated target. As far back as 2024, the city reported 34 home burglaries in a 35-day span, with some suspected of being tied to burglary tourism involving sophisticated crime rings that enter the country, commit burglaries, and leave before they can be identified.
These crews typically target wealthy neighborhoods where homes hold jewelry and high-value items easily converted to cash, and they often carry jamming devices to disable home security systems.
Irvine Police Chief Michael Kent said the arrests send a deliberate message. “We have the technology, resources, and expertise to find those who commit crimes in Irvine and ensure that they are held accountable,” Kent said in a statement.
Detectives are continuing to analyze evidence to determine whether the six suspects may be connected to additional crimes beyond those already identified. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Guzman at XGuzman@cityofirvine.org.
