Authorities say that the five men caught in Troy after they ran away after breaking into a house were part of a transnational gang.
The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office says that three of the men are from Colombia, one is from Mexico, and the fifth’s country of birth is unknown. Investigators linked the crime to recent break-ins of high-class homes by criminal gangs made up of foreigners, which has made people all over metro Detroit very nervous.
The county said that each of the five is being held on a $1 million cash bail. The owner told the police that there were strangers in the house because his home security system told him that someone was there. OCC Prosecutor Karen McDonald praised both the house and the Troy police for their “quick action” that led to the arrest of the suspected thieves.
McDonald said in a news release, “Theft rings have become a major source of crime in our community. I am committed to continuing to work with law enforcement to keep these dangerous criminals off the street.”
Owen Jean Cortes, 25, of Colombia, was charged with second-degree home invasion and having burglars’ tools after being arrested in Troy on Saturday. Luis Felipe Camargo, 43, of Mexico, was charged with second-degree home invasion and driving a car while license is suspended. Also, three people were charged with second-degree home invasion: Geovanny Enrique Castellanos Forero, 27, whose country of birth was not clear; Michel Leandro Alba Rincon, 39, of Colombia; and Omar Giovanny Rodriguez Aponte, 48, also of Colombia.