Chilean man part of disbanded network of thieves in Europe

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MADRID.- Spanish police reported today that they have disbanded a network of thieves acting "all over Europe", arresting 13 of the group's members (one of which is a Chilean national) in several countries.

Operation "Gold", which began in January of 2007, was carried out with the help of Belgian, Gernman and Dutch police forces, leading to the arrest of nine Colombians, two Mexicans, one Chilean and one Guatemalan.

A press release issued by the Spanish police indicated that the individuals "may have stolen more than 3 million euros (almost $4.5 million U.S. dollars) from European jewelry stores and banks".

The group was based out of Madrid, "from where they (the members) traveled to various parts of the European Union to commit their crimes, returning to Spain afterwards to sell the stolen articles".

While traveling, the criminals used "false identification documents from Venezuela, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Mexico", said the report.