Every man’s home is his castle, so when he’s robbed, is he conquered? Well you’ll have to ask Kansas City Chiefs superstars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. They’re the latest victims in what appears to be a string of high profile burglaries. Mahomes was the first to be hit, on October 6 at his Belton, Missouri residence, with Kelce being burglarized the very next day at his Leawood, Kansas residence.

While it’s already eyebrow raising that both were targeted so soon after each other, police have confirmed it’s no coincidence. Fox4 has revealed that multiple sources confirmed the involvement of a highly sophisticated South American crime ring. Just recently another home in the area has been burglarized, with reportedly more than $500,000 in cash and jewelry stolen.

Security expert Mike Barbieri described the who thing as “a sophisticated operation, it’s not some guy that’s going down to the local pawn shop.” That means they’ll likely have a whole supply chain set up, with fences for the stolen goods. If everything that was stolen can be relocated and sold elsewhere, maybe even to private collectors, the police will have difficulty tracking the burglars down. Given that both Chiefs stars reportedly strengthened security precautions in the aftermath, hitting them at the same time makes sense. It only makes the burglaries seem all the more sophisticated.

“It doesn’t surprise me at all that this crime spree that is going across the entire country is designed by some very sophisticated people in somewhat of a cartel,” Barbieri said. While we’re sure Mr. Barbieri’s speaking on the basis of years of experience in the industry, the language used could be dangerous. That’s probably why the police specifically haven’t publicly commented on the investigation.

Kansas City’s no stranger to hate crime. While we don’t have specific stats on the city, in 2022, Missouri saw 252 hate crimes reported, and Kansas saw 136. We recently had the 20th anniversary of the brutal, senseless killing of Alonzo Brooks. His case has gone unsolved since 2004, even with the FBI putting up a reward of $100,000 for any information leading to the arrest of the killer. We don’t want a repeat, nobody needs to start becoming suspicious of people who look different. Latino people in rich neighborhoods aren’t criminals, but if the messaging on this case is handled poorly, they could start facing unwarranted bias.

What was actually stolen from Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce?

Mahomes and Kelce are millionaires several times over. The biggest thing they lost was the sense of security you should feel at home. But yes, they both lost material possessions too, though there’s been some inconsistency in reporting as to how much. Reports have said Travis Kelce lost around $20,000 in cash that he’d stored at home. The Daily Mail has specifically reported that $100,000 of jewelry has gone missing. Though perhaps most heartbreaking of all, Kelce’s first Super Bowl jersey is reportedly missing too. That’ll fetch a pretty penny from a devoted fan with too much money and not enough moral scruples.

We have less specific reports about Patrick Mahomes, but Kansas City Chiefs quarterback didn’t come through unscathed. He’s lost jerseys, medals, trophies, you name it. Memorabilia that’ll do well on the resale market, that seems to have been the primary target. Of course, Mahomes’ wife Brittany Mahomes wasn’t immune either. Jewelry and designer bags she owned were also reportedly stolen. What’s important is that everyone involved is physically safe, scary as the burglaries were.