SIX Mexican holidaymakers went on a burglary spree across the UK after they ran out of money on a tour of English Premier League football stadiums.
They targeted homes in Strathclyde, Cumbria and West Lancashire over a six-day period.
The group had entered the country on tourist visas last October as part of their dream to watch their footballing heroes live, including Manchester United's Mexican striker Javier Hernandez at Old Trafford.
Apart from one married couple, none of the offenders were known to each other before they met in a London nightclub.
Several of them spent too much on alcohol during their stay and their British tour of sporting arenas evolved into an organised crime operation, Preston Crown Court heard.
They smashed open the front doors of properties then ransacked bedrooms for jewellery, cash and electrical equipment.
Addresses in Strathclyde, Carlisle, Lancaster, Morecambe and Bolton-le-Sands were targeted while the owners were out between November 16 and 21 last year.
Juan Castillo Fernandez, 28, Cuauthemoc Fernandez Gomez, 30, and Manuel Garcia, 44, were all jailed for two years after admitting conspiracy to commit burglary.
Jose Vargas Gomez, 51, Juan Molina, 24, and Cristina Obregon, 22, were each imprisoned for 14 months after they pleaded guilty to possessing criminal property.
All six, who were living in Lewisham, London, will be automatically deported back to Mexico after serving their sentences.
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