A group of Argentinian tourists are facing charges after police said they stole thousands of dollars in merchandise from multiple Dolphin Mall stores.
The five suspects were arrested Sunday After Sweetwater Police officers who were working an off-duty detail at the mall responded to multiple reported thefts.
The officers reviewed surveillance footage that showed the suspects entering a Burlington store where they selected luggage and left without paying, arrest reports said.
They went to a Columbia store where they split up and merchandise was concealed in the luggage, then did the same thing at a North Face store, the reports said.
Two of the suspects targeted a Tommy Hilfiger store and were later found at a nearby bus stop, the reports said.
The two suspects found at the bus stop had around $950 worth of stolen merchandise, while the other suspects had over $1,100 worth of stolen merchandise, the reports said.
The suspects – identified as Diego Luis Xiccato, 46, Mauricio Ariel Aparo-Orlando, 49, Sebastian Luis Moya, 41, Juan Manuel Zuloaga-Arenas, 49, and Juan Pablo Rua, 45 – are facing charges including organized scheme to defraud and retail theft.
Police said the suspects were supposed to be heading back to Argentina on Wednesday.
“They are mature adults that thought they would be able to come here and take things without paying, but they didn’t take into consideration one thing, that we have ‘Operation Safe Holidays’ in effect, and that’s why they were caught,” Sweetwater Police spokesman Alvaro Zabaleta said. “And we maintain our message to the community, if you are going to come and steal and commit crimes, you can’t do it at Dolphin Mall because we have a zero tolerance for criminality.”