A GANG of Latin American thieves has been ransacking houses across the home counties in a spate of “burglary tourism”, it was reported last night.

They have swiped jewellery, watches and designer clothes in a series of multimillion-pound raids across England and Wales.

Scotland Yard has launched a manhunt for the British-based leaders of the Chilean network after burglaries across southwest London, the Thames Valley, Hertfordshire, Surrey, Kent and as far afield as Somerset and north Wales.

More than 75 Chilean burglars have been arrested in the UK over the past two years and the gang is known to be active in Spain and other European countries, according to The Times.

The crime spree will raise questions over the lack of background checks at the British border after it emerged thieves have moved back and forth between the UK and Chile with relative impunity.

Citizens from Chile and most Latin American countries do not need visas to visit the UK for up to three months.

Metropolitan Police Detective Inspector Tim Court, who is heading the nationwide response, said: “We put the message out to immigration and border force.

“The big question was ‘where is this stuff going?’ We intercepted a series of boxes going back to Chile. Hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of jewellery.”

None of the gang has spoken in police interview and every one of them has pleaded guilty at the first opportunity, often opting for early deportation to serve sentences in Chile.