Lieutenant Josh Combs of the Nolensville Police Department (NPD) confirmed to The Tennessee Star on Friday that South American Theft Groups (SATGs) remain active in Williamson County and other parts Tennessee as local law enforcement continues to pursue open cases related to thefts in the area.
According to U.S. Department of Homeland Security, such groups are “sophisticated criminal organizations that profit from illegally obtaining goods,” either by targeting wealthy homes or businesses, with frequently targeted goods including pharmaceuticals, electronics, and high-end clothing. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement indicates some SATG members enter the country illegally, while prosecutors have stated that others entered on a legal tourism visa.
Combs told The Star that SATGs do not appear to reside in Tennessee, but instead travel from out-of-state, switching out license plates upon entering the Volunteer State to avoid scrutiny from law enforcement.
He explained the thieves are, “Not just specifically here, but through the southeast,” and while “their home range is typically in the northeast,” they seem to roam the majority of the continental United States.
“Through investigation, we’ve noticed they work not just the southeast, but they’ll come to the southeast, go as far south as Florida, [then] go to Texas, Oklahoma, and then go on out west,” before eventually returning to their “home base.”
Combs also confirmed to The Star that other Williamson County communities have been targeted by SATGs, but said the theft groups appear to target any similar community of affluence.
He also told The Star that law enforcement has so far been unable to determine where the SATG members stay while in Middle Tennessee, suggesting the thieves may be sleeping in vehicles to avoid creating a “paper trail” by purchasing lodging.
“They are utilizing cars, so they’re changing plates on cars because they know about them,” said Combs, noting the New York Police Department provided NPD with information about suspected SATG members that was gathered through New York’s license plate readers (LPRs).
“They’ll swap plates around,” said Combs. “I think they will drive a car down [and] they may sleep in it.”
The lieutenant previously confirmed the continued presence of SATG in Middle Tennessee through comments to WKRN in May, when he told The Star a “perfect storm” of events led to the department’s first ability to capture video of SATG members, though he told The Star that law enforcement was ultimately unable to recover enough evidence to arrest their suspect, who has yet to reappear in Tennessee.
“It just so happened they dumped some evidence, some people saw them dumping this evidence,” Combs said. He explained a bystander called police, who arrived at the scene as dispatch notified them of a possible burglary in progress.
Combs told The Star, “That’s the only way I was ever able to uncover any type of surveillance footage of them before they did what they did. Now that’s not to say other people have not, it’s just very rare that we do. They’re using jammers.”
The lieutenant said he receives as many as seven emails a day from nearby law enforcement agencies to share intelligence about potential SATG members in the area, but told The Star that law enforcement remains uncertain about the total number of foreign nationals who participate in organized theft.
“It’s just unknowable,” said Combs. “That would be just a shot in the dark if I gave a number.”
Combs’ comments follow the Thursday claim by Representative Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill) that one-third of criminal cases in Williamson County now involve an illegal immigrant. Four circuit judges in Williamson County, the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation did not confirm this statistic despite press inquiries from The Star.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
