HILLSBORO, Ore. (November 14, 2012)--A regional police task force in Oregon busted a Houston-based burglary ring that periodically flew into the Portland area to commit waves of burglaries, the Washington County, Ore., sheriff's office said.
The sheriff's office said the burglars rented cars, bought tools and then broke into homes when they suspected no one was home.
They focused on stealing gold, which was easy to sell in Texas, authorities said.
With the help of police in Houston, three people were arrested on Oct. 27.
One was jailed Wednesday in Hillsboro, Ore., and two others were held for extradition.
A fourth is believed to be hiding in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Detectives believe they are responsible for more than 40 burglaries in the Portland area and may have committed similar fly-in burglaries in other states.
