'Sophisticated' thieves arrested in Irvine for SoCal break-ins

IRVINE, Calif. - Two people were arrested earlier this week for break-ins at homes in Thousand Oaks and Irvine, which officials called "sophisticated."

Juan Carlos Oviedo Vargas and Claritza Oviedo Vazquez, both from Los Angeles, were arrested and charged with conspiracy to comit residential burglary in Irvine on July 7. But the investigation into their alleged criminal activities goes back more than a month.

The first robbery happened at a home in Newbury Park in Thousand Oaks in June 2023. After the robbery, detectives determined the thieves had surveilled the victims, the owners of a small restaurant, for several days, to and from work. The pair then struck while the family was at the restaurant.

Following a month-long investigation, Thousand Oaks detectives were able to determine that Oviedo Vargas and Oviedo Vazquez lived in South Los Angeles. 

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Earlier this week, investigators from Thousand Oaks and Irvine observed the pair while the "appeared to case a neighborhood" in Irvine, and the two were arrested as they tried to break into a home. Police said they were found with burglary tools. 

Shortly after there arrest, police served a search warrant for their South LA home, where they found high-end jewelry and handbags, cash, walkie talkies and vehicle trackers. 

Oviedo Vargas and Oviedo Vazquez were taken into custody in Orange County and are being held on $300,000 bail. They will also be extradited to Ventura County where they'll face additional residential burglary charges.