The South American burglary gang who targeted luxury houses in Alderley Edge and Wilmslow - before a death-defying 120mph chase

A gang of burglars flew from South America to target luxury homes in Alderley Edge and Wilmslow. But they were caught after an astonishing 120 mph chase by police during which their getaway car braked hard to stop in the fast lane.

After arriving in the country in late 2022, they set up a base in the south of England with the with the sole aim of committing burglaries at high-value homes across the UK.

But their downfall came when they chose to break into homes in Cheshire. It triggered a series of events which ended in a hair-raising dash across a motorway on foot by the gang in a vain attempt to escape.

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On Friday March 31st this year the men broke into a house on Broad Walk, Wilmslow, at 8.20pm by smashing the patio doors. They searched the property and caused thousands of pounds worth of damage, but made off with just £60.

At 7.40pm the next day, Saturday April 1st, they struck at a house in West Bank in Alderley Edge. But the gang were disturbed by an occupier after entering via an insecure door and made off from the scene empty handed. The incident was immediately reported to police and officers went immediately to the scene.

Following local enquiries, officers spoke to staff at Cheshire East council who found CCTV footage of the offenders getting into car nearby. Enquiries revealed that the vehicle was a hire car from Bracknell, Berkshire, so the car was added to the national police database to alert forces across the UK.

At around 1pm the next day the vehicle was spotted by officers from Thames Valley Police travelling on the M40. Officers attempted to stop the car, however, the driver made off and hit speeds of up to 120mph, as the