Chilean trio sold stolen gold and valuables worth 200,000 euros

A Chilean gang stole gold and valuables worth more than 200,000 euros in break-ins across Salzburg, Upper Austria, Carinthia and Styria, ORF reported. The men sent some of the stolen goods by post to Chile and sold the rest in Salzburg and Milan.

Police arrested the three suspects shortly before they planned to leave for Italy. The men, aged 31, 33 and 36, were found carrying burglary tools and stolen property. Prosecutors ordered their detention at Graz-Jakomini prison, where all three were remanded in custody.

Investigators from the Styria State Criminal Police Office had been conducting an intensive investigation since late March 2026. The trio had first attracted attention on March 19 during a targeted check of their Italian rental car in Graz.

Two of the men had allegedly carried out burglaries in Austria since mid-February, while the third arrived via Milan in early March. They used changing holiday apartments as bases and travelled to targets in Styria, Carinthia, Salzburg and Upper Austria by rental car or public transport.

They immediately sent cash from the sale of the stolen goods to relatives in Chile through international money-transfer providers. The three suspects made comprehensive confessions during questioning, police said.

Investigators also focused on a gold dealer based in Salzburg in connection with suspected handling of stolen goods. The court case against him was concluded through an alternative resolution. However, investigators accused him of serious failings, including repeatedly buying precious metals below market value without checking the sellers’ identities and bypassing statutory record-keeping requirements. They reported him to the relevant trade and anti-money-laundering authorities.