HILLSBORO, Ore. (AP) — The Washington County sheriff’s office says a regional police task force busted a Houston, Texas, based burglary ring that periodically flew into the Portland area to commit waves of burglaries.

The sheriff’s office says burglars would rent cars, buy tools and break into homes when they suspected no one was home. They focused on stealing gold, which was easy to sell in Texas.

With the help of police in Houston, three people were arrested on Oct. 27. One is jailed in Hillsboro and two others are held for extradition. A fourth is believed to be hiding in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Detectives believe they are responsible for more than 40 burglaries in the Portland area and may have committed similar fly-in burglaries in other states.