Chilean Athletes' Robbers Caught in Argentina After Del Potro Family Heist

Two Chilean nationals, Bastián Jiménez Freraut, 28, and Ignacio Zúñiga Cartés, 21, were arrested in Argentina after being sought by U.S. authorities for a series of robberies. The pair, along with other accomplices, allegedly obtained over $2 million in loot from the homes of elite North American athletes. Their targets included Travis Kelce, a star American football player and boyfriend of singer Taylor Swift.

Before their capture, the men had illegally entered Argentina. They committed a robbery at the Tandil home of former tennis player Juan Martín del Potro's family. Their attempt to evade capture failed when they were apprehended by the Argentine Federal Police (PFA) at the Retiro bus terminal in Buenos Aires. They were preparing to board a bus to Misiones province, likely intending to cross into Brazil or Paraguay.

A detective involved in the operation stated that the suspects, despite knowing they were wanted in the U.S., underestimated the international alert. "They got confident and to board the bus that would take them to Misiones, they presented their real documents. They were immediately detained," the detective told LA NACION. International arrest warrants, known as Red Notices, were issued by Interpol in November of the previous year, after the suspects had already left the United States.

Official information indicates that the gang to which Jiménez Freraut and Zúñiga Cartés belonged committed robberies against elite athletes in the U.S. between October 2024 and January 2025. The PFA's International Criminal Prevention Division and the Terminal de Ómnibus Police Station were conducting checks at Retiro when they identified the fugitives. Shortly after, the prosecutor in Tandil requested information about the Chilean suspects involved in the Del Potro family robbery. Interpol in Chile also reported the arrest of a third suspect, Pablo Zúñiga Cartés, 24, wanted by U.S. justice.

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If they surely knew they were sought in the United States, they did not imagine that there was a red circular uploaded to the Interpol database. They got confident and to board the bus that would take them to Misiones, they presented their real documents. They were immediately detained.