Chilean gang brings mustard attacks to Toronto
TORONTO — Three Chileans known for using condiments — and, in some cases, their own excrement — in thefts in Spain and Germany have been accused of similar tactics in Toronto.
Juan Jamie Loaiza Eguren, 67, Carlos Embry Ibarra, 64, and Angel Moforte Mardones, 69, face robbery, mischief and theft charges over a series of alleged sleight-of-hand thefts in which they sprayed mustard on seniors and stole $28,000 over the last four months.
The suspects all share the names and country of origin of men accused of similar crimes in Europe. In separate incidents, one was arrested in Spain, another had to flee the country to avoid 17 prosecutions, and the third was jailed for 58 months in Germany.
Toronto police told the National Post they are aware of the overseas incidents.
Spanish media outlet La Voz de Galicia reported a man with the same name and nationality as Eguren was arrested in Santiago, northwestern Spain, in 2003 for his part in a distraction crime that used ketchup instead of mustard.
The men would lie in wait for victims withdrawing a significant amount of cash from a bank, spray them with ketchup and steal their money while they were distracted by the cleanup. This group was also spotted operating in Pontevedra, Madrid, Valencia and Santander.
Media reports show another man with the same name, age and nationality as Mardones left Spain in 2006 to avoid the 17 prosecutions and several years in prison he and a partner accumulated with the same distraction methods.
They also operated in the Galicia region and were known for waiting inside banks and targeting senior citizens.
The men were caught stealing 2,500 euros (nearly $3,400) from a 70-year-old woman. In this case, they reportedly poured a liquid over her head.
According to the Spanish report, criminals who practise these kinds of crimes save their own excrement for several days until it becomes unbearably noxious before using it on victims.
Reports from Radio Cooperativa in Chile show a third man with the same name and nationality as Ibarra was part of a gang called the “eurolanzas” that operated in Germany for 30 years.
Ibarra was jailed after the gang successfully pulled off 2,000 distraction-style crimes using water mixed with excrement and stole a total of 400,000 euros (about $542,500) members attempted to send to Chile in a wire transfer.
The three Chileans arrested in Toronto allegedly targeted seniors withdrawing significant amounts of cash from banks.
After they were followed, one suspect would spray mustard, another would make the victim aware and the third would offer to help clean up while allegedly stealing the cash.
Police say the suspects also threw $5 bills on the ground, waited for victims to pick them up, then stole money from them while they were distracted.
The three men appeared in court Friday. They are being held in custody until a bail hearing on Wednesday.