Suvechha Sarkar
Chile’s luxury watch trade became the center of a major criminal investigation known as Caso Relojes, or the Watches Case, which raised questions about several individuals involved in acquiring and selling stolen high-end watches and jewelry. As detectives followed the trail, several names emerged, including Estrella Dinamarca Sánchez, Jaime Antonio Quiroz Jara, and Marco Antonio López Spagui, AKA Parived, among others. Netflix’s ‘High End: The Watch Theft Ring’ revisits the details of the case and the people connected to it. It also features a detailed interview with Jaime, in which he discussed how he came under scrutiny during the investigation.
Cellphone Wiretaps Brought Jaime Quiroz Under Investigators’ Scrutiny
There is very little information available about Jaime Antonio Quiroz Jara’s earlier life. However, it is known that by 2016, he came under the radar of the authorities as they began tracking a potential network of people who bought stolen high-priced jewelry and watches from abroad and brought them to Chile before selling them there. According to the officials on the show, they soon identified a woman named Estrella Dinamarca Sánchez as the alleged leader of the operation. Following that discovery, the detectives began wiretapping her cellphone and monitoring communications with the people she was in contact with.
One of the investigators on the show stated that they soon came to believe that Jaime was her associate, and his key responsibilities were to monitor and handle the local goods collection, wire transfers, and incoming cash from abroad. On the show, officials claimed that when they listened in on Jaime’s phone conversations, they discovered that he often communicated with and met with suppliers, many of whom were allegedly international thieves, and negotiated prices for jewelry and other luxury items. Additional records allege that they soon learned he was involved in selling several of those stolen goods to high-profile buyers, including Tonka Tomicic Petric’s then-husband, Marco Antonio López Spagui, also known as Parived.
Jaime Quiroz Was Placed in Pretrial Detention Following His Arrest
According to investigators featured on the show, one of the recorded calls allegedly caught Jaime negotiating jewelry prices. In her interview, Estrella stated that whenever she met him, he was always dressed to make an impression. As officials continued to surveil her and Jaime, they once tracked them to the Sheraton Santiago Hotel and Convention Center in Chile, where both met Parived, as per the show. In his statements, Jaime claimed he knew Parived better as a collector than as a buyer. On January 31, 2023, the authorities executed more than 30 search warrants on residential properties and commercial establishments across Chile.
The search also included Estrella’s shop, following which she was arrested. On February 1, 2023, she was formally charged with money laundering, criminal association, customs receiving, and smuggling. The following day, Jaime was taken into custody separately. He was arraigned on the same day and charged with illicit association, receiving stolen goods, smuggling, customs fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion. Furthermore, the court ordered him to remain in pretrial detention while the investigation continued.
Jaime Quiroz is Likely Leading a Quiet Life Away From the Limelight
Following his detention, the prosecution continued its investigation and considered him Estrella’s right-hand man. On the other hand, the defense soon challenged his preventive detention order. However, the Appellate Court rejected the appeal on February 13, 2023, indicating that he remained in custody. In March 2025, a significant development happened in the case when the prosecution formally closed the investigation. Subsequently, they prepared their case against the defendants.
According to one of the official reports, the prosecution identified Estrella and Jaime as the alleged people who mainly worked to carry on the network that bought and sold stolen items like jewelry. Following that, the Western Metropolitan Prosecutor’s Office announced its plan to bring both of them to an oral criminal trial. By April 2025, the prosecution moved forward by submitting its accusation against both of them to the court, focusing on the charges and the proposed penalties for Estrella.
However, it appears that Jaime has not yet been convicted of the charges he is facing. On the show, the officials and Estrella stated that she was previously convicted on unrelated charges of robbery with intimidation and receiving stolen property and was incarcerated until she completed serving her sentence. In her statements, Estrella further stated that during that time, she was incarcerated for around a year at the Rancagua Prison in Chile. As of writing, Jaime is likely maintaining a low profile out of the spotlight.
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