Members of crime gang to be deported

THREE Chilean members of a crime gang whose burglary spree targeted Monmouthshire were today sentenced to a combined total of 21 years in jail.

The three were arrested on the M4 near Bristol on Tuesday 27th June after fleeing the scene of their final burglary of a house south of Usk.

Previous to this, the group had targeted other homes in Monmouthshire, Cardiff, London, Sussex, Croydon and Oxfordshire between April and June of this year.

They stole more than £60,000 worth of items including jewellery, electronics and cash.

All three of the men were of no fixed abode and had traveled to the UK from Chile at different times since the start of the 2017, each only waiting months before committing their crimes.

Julio Galdamez-Rodriguez, 35, was sentenced to nine years jail after pleading guilty to 10 counts of burglary.

Franciso Montecinos, 32, was sentenced to six years jail after pleading guilty to six counts of burglary.

Luis Rojas, 20, was sentenced to six years jail after pleading guilty to five counts of burglary.

During the sentencing on Friday 15th September at Cardiff Crown Court, Judge Thomas Crowther QC told the men “you will be immediately deported”.

He said given the shortness of time they had been in the country and the blitz of offences they had committed their deportation would be “in the public good”.

Detective Constable Simon Reed who led the case for Gwent Police said: “I would like to reassure our local residents that we are committed to tackling these types of reckless crimes and we will continue to proactively stop criminals who profit from other people’s misery.

“The defendants show no regard for their victims and intended to callously scare and steal from them.

“The sentencing today shows our relentless efforts to bring justice upon those who commit such serious crimes and the continuous work involved to dismantle organised crime. This investigation has been painstaking and I hope the community will take comfort in these sentences handed out today.”

For more read next week’s Beacon (Wednesday 20th September).