Sounds like they had quite the operation…
You might be one of the many unfortunate people who climbed into their car, started the engine, and was greeted by plenty of noise. No, we’re not talking about straight piping your ride. Instead, more and more drivers are falling victim to catalytic converter theft. A new report out of southeastern Texas details out how a theft ring was able to steal a dizzying number of cats before law enforcement put an end to the crime spree.
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According to a report from KHOU 11 in Houston, a group of men had a sophisticated criminal enterprise going which involved cutting off, purchasing, and selling catalytic converters by the hundreds. To call it organized crime sounds accurate from the charging documents the news station obtained.
These guys unfortunately were smart and enterprising. Instead of just spreading word from person to person that they were looking to buy chopped cats, they were reportedly advertising on social media. That’s right, the same platforms which have been able to shut down certain groups because of alleged criminal activity or spreading of misinformation apparently can’t keep criminals from running ads soliciting other people to commit crimes for them.
Authorities say the catalytic converter theft ring would specify in those ads what model cars they wanted the cats from, providing a price they were willing to pay for each one. Call it a theft menu if you will, this sounds like a low-rent version of Gone In 60 Seconds starring Nicholas Cage.
The report makes it clear one of the guys arrested was already out of jail and has no active charges. We’re not sure why, maybe the police didn’t have enough evidence or something else, but that’s surely not going to make some victims of these thefts happy. Still, the rest were in custody
