Professional Burglary Ring On The Loose

A burglary ring in Tulsa is going to extreme measures in their heists. Tulsa police are trying to solve a string of big time burglaries done by professionals that pick targets carefully, and plan the

Tuesday, June 19th 2007, 5:00 pm

By: News On 6

A burglary ring in Tulsa is going to extreme measures in their heists. Tulsa police are trying to solve a string of big time burglaries done by professionals that pick targets carefully, and plan the crimes to the last detail. The thieves drop down through rooftops, tunnel through walls, even crawl through ductwork to get the job done. News On 6 crime reporter Lori Fullbright reports they leave behind no fingerprints, no witnesses and no surveillance tapes.

The most recent target was a Best Buy store near I-44 and Yale. It's a high traffic area, has alarms and surveillance, yet the burglars spent hours in the store making off with tens of thousands of dollars worth of goods. According to police the suspects cut a hole in the stores roof, rappelled down 12 feet to the ceiling of the office, cut a hole in that, defeated the alarm system, took all the surveillance tapes, then loaded up on 40 to 50 laptops, 60 inch plasma televisions and even the store safe.

Disabling alarms and taking safes are signature trademarks for these burglars, police say. On Christmas Eve 2005 the suspects robbed Letney Jewelers. Police say the thieves tunneled through the wall of an adjacent business, grabbed jewelry and the safe, which they needed a trash truck to remove.

"Were talking 4,000 or 5,000 pound safes theyâ€™re pulling out of these businesses," said Detective JJ Gray with the Tulsa Police Department Burglary Unit.

The suspects went through the wall of an Office Depot last December and robbed a Hahn Appliance Center in 2004, taking some 60 appliances.

"A 53 foot trailer, correctly loaded, handles 33 side-by-side refrigerators, so they had some help, and had a large trailer, or several flatbeds, or a box truck," Detective Gray said.

Police believe the same team hit Smith Farm and Garden in August of 2003.

The losses in the robberies have been from $60,000 up to $400,000 per business. And not one stolen item has ever been recovered.

"They're going out of state, they have a buyer before they even do the job, have a buyer for the merchandise and it's moved out immediately," said Gray.

Police are frustrated the burglars keep making such large hauls, but authorities have no evidence that would lead them to an arrest.

"Very skilled, very greedy and that will one day be their downfall," said Detective Gray.

Police believe they know who the burglars are, they just can't prove it. They also believe someone knows who's doing it, and they would love to get that phone call. If you have information on this burglary ring call Crimestooppers at 596-COPS. You can remain anonymous and if your tip leads to an arrest you could earn a cash reward.

Watch the video: Police Track Professional Burglary Ring