Posted on 03/17/2021 6:56:57 AM PDT by hapnHal
They're valuable and, unfortunately, easy to steal, and the thefts have skyrocketed during this pandemic year, but at least this set of bad guys got caught.
While no one is tracking exact figures, the number of catalytic converters stolen from vehicles across the U.S. has grown tremendously. In Los Angeles County, it was up 400 percent in a year.
The LA Sheriff raided four locations last week, arresting 19 people and recovering three-quarters of a million dollars' worth of catalytic converters, plus $100,000 in cash and a "ghost" gun.If you want to prevent your own cat from being stolen, parking in a secure location is one possible solution.
The sheriff also suggests etching your serial number into the converter and welding its bolts together. As one does. Don't say we didn't warn you. Catalytic converter thefts keep on rising as the pandemic continues, in some cases to an eye-popping degree. The Los Angeles County Sheriff recently announced that there was a 400 percent increase in these kinds of thefts in LA County in 2020. In California as a whole, the number of catalytic converters replaced last year was more than 90 percent higher than the year before, a AAA spokesman told the Los Angeles Times. So it's good news that the Los Angeles County Sheriff's office served search warrants in four locations last week, arresting 19 people and recovering 250 catalytic converters with an estimated total value of $750,000.
The police also seized around $100,000 and a "ghost" handgun (i.e., one that was homemade or otherwise without a serial number).
(Excerpt) Read more at caranddriver.com ...
Dumass suggestion weld the bolts and put serial number on them
L.A. Times math? I doubt the cats are worth $3,000 a piece.
Had one stolen out of one of my uhauls just a couple weeks ago. Had a motorhome stolen right off my lot. This is in the Tacoma area. Fun times.
The presstitutes at the El Segundo Times thinks that your cost to repair this theft is how much the thieves make from stealing your stuff. It’s a Public School thing.
Just make possessing them without registering them with the sheriff, illegal.
Then, go about confiscating all unregistered CCs.
To stop the theft, which circumvents the registration fee (revenue).
Familiar...
Actually, the precious metals in them are what the worth is. There is a band of thieves which hit older RVs up here in VA looking for them.
Recyclers then extract the metal and resell it for as much as $6,000 an ounce, as in the case of rhodium.
https://www.edmunds.com/auto-insurance/in-under-two-minutes-catalytic-converter-theft.html
I used to have a dodge D50 with a “melted” catalytic converter core. It was in the exhaust manifold itself. I just unbolted it, broke out all the material with a hammer and screwdriver (it’s like porous ceramic), bolted it back together and got a few more years out of the truck. :)
They really think they are taking the time to unbolt them when a cordless Sawzall is faster?
I just went to Jegs website, you can buy a cat for most cars in the $3-400 range.
I don’t see how there can be enough precious platinum or whatever in an older cat to make them worth $3k a piece. The price increase of precious metals hasn’t been that great.
A brother in S. Cal. had a neighbor who once had a catalytic converter removed/stolen from his truck, sitting in the driveway, sometime during a night.
On his street not a single house has a bedroom at the front of the house; all the bedrooms are toward the back on either side of the houses. No one heard the thief removing the catalytic converter.
My brother and his neighbor installed security cameras and outdoor flood lights that come on when something in the front of the house moves at night.
Yeah, that’s really stupid. The bad guys cut them off anyway, and the serial number would be removed as well...
My kid had a RAM V10 with dual exhaust. Both Cats clogged about the same time. We thought about unbolting them and gutting them but our nanny state has emission tests.
Of course, just a bit after he replaced them he moved out of state then sold the truck.
Catalytic converter Theives generally look for 1) good cover, 2) a vehicle high enough to slide under, 3) a good battery powered saws-all.
They can drop a converter in seconds.
Welds and bolts are not an issue.
Is the platinum price rising again?
Finally a REAL crime that “da” gascon can wrap his hands around.
A stolen cat converter is worth $3000???
I highly doubt that
They’re not. They’re expensive, but even at retail value not that much, so definitely not at fencing value. Sounds like they’re stealing them to resell as cats, vs extracting the metal, or they wouldn’t have had 250 laying around.
LOL! Been there, done that.
BMW retail price.
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