FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas (KIAH) — Seventeen men, all from Colombia, have been arrested and charged for committing dozens of burglaries targeting the Asian, Pakistani and Middle Eastern communities in Fort Bend County and the City of Houston.
Since the beginning of 2016, the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office has investigated about 120 Burglary of Habitation reports, which have all been linked back to organized crime.
Sheriff’s Office detectives began to notice an increase in the number of late evening home burglaries where high-end jewelry and purses were being stolen, a tactic which contrasts from the normal trend.
Throughout the course of the investigation, detectives coordinated a complex multi-agency investigation along with the Houston Police Department, which also identified multiple burglary cases with similar characteristics in its jurisdiction.
During the investigation, the Burglary and Theft Unit developed information that enabled detectives to identify several suspects and vehicles commonly used by the subjects.
Detectives, along with Houston Police West Side TAC Team officers, initiated a three-month investigation in which the suspects were monitored on a 24-hour basis.
Detectives were able to identify a total of 49 burglaries that occurred within the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction.
Detectives obtained several court orders, multiple arrest warrants and filed 49 criminal cases against the suspects linked to the cases.
“The diligent efforts of these detectives and their ability to coordinate the activities within this department and with the officers of the Houston Police Department is commendable and should stand as an example for all in the law enforcement profession,” said Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy E. Nehls.
Seventeen suspects have been arrested for burglaries committed in Fort Bend County or other adjacent jurisdictions. Ten suspects committed burglaries in Fort Bend County. Five of those 10 suspects are in the
Fort Bend County Jail, with four of them in jail under ICE holds.
Four suspects in Fort Bend County Jail under ICE holds include: Carlos Alberto Riasco Valencia, 35; Layonel Mosquera Mondragon, 31; Harold Jesus Lerma Mosquera, 43; and Reynaldo Rivera Centeno, 44.
One suspect, Jeferson Caicedo Perlaza, 36, also remains in the Fort Bend County Jail.
The other suspects with cases in Fort Bend County are: Jhon Zamora Ibarguen, 26; Victor Sanchez-Murillo, 38; Miguel Gamboa Espinosa, 41; Jorge Johan Perea, Moreno, 27; and Marving Paredes-Arrechea, 34.
The remaining seven suspects involved in cases in various jurisdictions include: Victor Alfonso Ayovi Cuena, 31; Hector Sinisterra, 34; Anderson Rosera Gamboa, 38; Mario Hurtado Galindo, 28; Andres Fong Luna, 38; Luis Hernando Mosquera Torres, 36; and Jhon Alvarado Riascos Valencia, 28.