Two men facing burglary and other charges in the break-in of an Alabama jewelry store may have ties to South American organized crime.

Gulf Shores police said Wednesday that Ricardo Fabian Soto-Vargas and Sebastian Vilches were being held in the Baldwin County Jail with an immigration hold to verify whether they entered the country illegally.

The suspects, who allegedly fled the scene after burglarizing Diamond Jewelers on 20th Avenue in Gulf Shores just after midnight on New Year’s Day, “may have connections to a South American theft ring that is responsible for similar crimes throughout the United States,” police said.

No merchandise was taken during the burglary, authorities said.

On Thursday, police told WKRG they are working with U.S. Homeland Security and ICE on the case.

“Information that we received was they are from Chile, they are from South America,” said Gulf Shores Police Det. Carl Wittstruck. “Working with them closely, we were able to determine that there may be some ties to an organized crime operating out of South America.”