KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One week after high-end burglaries targeted Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, WDAF-TV is learning who could be behind them.
“This is a sophisticated operation. It’s not some guy that’s going down to the local pawn shop,” said security expert Mike Barbieri.
It appears to be a highly intelligent crime ring. This is related to the video last week, where burglars hit another high-end home and stole more than $500,000 in jewelry.
Multiple sources confirmed with WDAF-TV that police believe the thieves behind these high-end burglaries are members of a South American crime ring.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all that this crime spree that is going across the entire country is designed by some very sophisticated people in somewhat of a cartel,” Barbieri said.
Barbieri is a security expert who’s worked with the federal government in law enforcement and has run security detail in more than 20 countries.
“If you have a particular individual that’s an athlete, a wealthy CEO, you can find out just about anything you need to find out about these people online,” he said.
These two Chiefs stars and the third victim appear to not be alone as targets in this calculated crime spree.
Professional athletes have been hit in a suburb of Minneapolis and one in Milwaukee where NBA player Bobby Portis says thieves walked out with most of his prized possessions.
Barbieri is clear that the work these South American criminals are getting away with starts well in advance of the burglaries with weeks of intelligence prep and possibly even work inside these homes.
“Anybody that’s had their home worked on recently and then miraculously had it burglarized, you can draw a very interesting conclusion from that. Some of the people that were on the jobsite may know people in these cartels and may be selling the information,” Barbieri said.
In a statement, the Leawood Police Department said:
“Leawood Police Department will not comment on any open investigations. Our agency follows up on all investigative leads and works closely with victims to solve open cases. The Leawood Police Department is dedicated to the public we serve and will work tirelessly to ensure the City of Leawood remains one of the safest cities in the State of Kansas.”
Barbieri says none of this is shocking, especially the things they are getting away with, saying wealthy victims keep many prized possessions in their bedrooms, and thieves go there first.