A judicial investigation initiated following a robbery in the city of Tandil ended with the dismantling of an international criminal gang composed of Chilean immigrants, accused of committing home invasions and linked to attacks on elite athletes in the United States.
The case originated on May 15, when Patricia Lucas, 66 years old and mother of former tennis player Juan Martín del Potro, reported that criminals had entered her home during the afternoon. According to her testimony, the thieves gained access by breaking a living room window.
In the initial assessment, the victim indicated that the assailants stole a gold chain with a cross-shaped pendant, a wedding band inscribed with “Patri 23/12/1983,” a white and yellow Babolat tennis racket, and two non-functioning watches, one a white Swatch and the other a red Nike.
Chilean criminals.
When she expanded her statement the following day, Lucas added that around 1,000 dollars, a watch whose brand she could not specify, clothing, imported perfumes, costume earrings, a Rolex watch, gold chains, bracelets, and medals obtained by her son in sports tournaments were also missing.
Through investigative work and analysis of security cameras, authorities were able to identify the vehicle used in the incident: a maroon Chevrolet Astra with license plate DUU-150. It was later determined that this car had received a ticket in the City of Buenos Aires on May 14.
This ticket listed Ignacio Aquiles Zuñiga Cartes, a Chilean immigrant residing in CABA, as the driver, who had also handed over the driving to Walter D’Amelio, an Argentine citizen. With this information, investigators requested immigration data and reconstructed part of the route taken by the gang after the robbery.
One of the criminals.
Thus, they established that the vehicle passed through Ayacucho and that its occupants refueled at a Puma gas station located on provincial routes 29 and 74.
The progress of the case, led by the DDI of Azul along with the Prosecutor's Office No. 16 of the Judicial Department of Azul, under the direction of prosecutor Marcelo Eguzquiza, also allowed for linking Zuñiga Cartes with a criminal organization operating in the United States, dedicated to robbing the homes of famous athletes, including Travis Kelce.
In parallel, investigators detected communications with a mechanical workshop and towing service in Capital Federal, where the Chevrolet Astra was being repaired.
The Arrests
With the evidence gathered, on May 23, the Justice authorized phone taps and ordered the arrests of Ignacio Zuñiga Cartes, Walter D’Amelio, and Bastian Jimenez Freraut. On the same day, in a joint operation with the Argentine Federal Police, Zuñiga Cartes and Jimenez Freraut were arrested at the Retiro terminal as they were about to board a bus to Posadas, Misiones.
Both Chilean citizens had red alerts from Interpol at the request of the United States for being part of a gang dedicated to robbing the homes of elite athletes. Additionally, they had active arrest warrants issued by the Second Guarantee Court of Santiago, Chile for cases of “robbery with intimidation.”
The investigation continued during the early hours of May 24, when phone taps detected movements on Provincial Route 7 heading towards Junín. With the support of the DDI of Junín and personnel from the Buenos Aires Road Safety, a black Fiat Cronos with license plate AE964ZA was intercepted.
In that vehicle was Walter D’Amelio, who was arrested by court order. Two other Chilean citizens, Rodolfo Esteban Cartes Escobar and Alfredo Eduardo Espinoza Gallardo, were also detained and later apprehended in connection with the case.
Additionally, an Argentine woman named Marcela Jara was identified as part of the ongoing investigation that led to the dismantling of a criminal structure with a strong presence of Chilean immigrants.
