Denver Police have issued an arrest warrant for Gustavo Salas-Ortega, suspected member of a South American theft group that pulled a jewel heist in the Cherry Creek Shopping Center last summer.
Investigators say the thieves, disguised as construction workers, broke into the Hyde Park jewelry store by cutting a hole through the wall, leaving eight hours later with $12 million in valuables.
Salas-Ortega is linked to a similar heist in New Jersey—“part of a pattern” of jewel thefts across the country.
In the arrest affidavit, police say they used surveillance technology to connect Salas-Ortega to the Cherry Creek heist. Court documents state he has been detained for violating his immigration status.