CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Thieves are after catalytic converters. It’s an exhaust emission control device that turns toxic gases into less-toxic pollutants.
Mike Sanchez the store manager at Brooks Tire said the parts are worth a lot of money.
“For what’s inside of it which is platinum. It’s worth a lot of money,” Sanchez said.
To help crack down on catalytic converter thieves the newly passed legislation puts stricter punishments in place for individuals even found in possession of catalytic converters.
“As we talk now, they’re probably stealing one. That’s how fast they take them,” Sanchez said.
The Corpus Christi Police Department documented the number of catalytic converters stolen by month for 2022. 551 vehicles were targeted.
In Portland, police tell us 15 have been stolen in the last 12 months, most of them were taken from hotel parking lots.
Sanchez said it’s not cheap to replace.
“It can run up to $3,500 to $4,500 and that’s just the labor. You still have to buy the converter. It’ll probably costs another $400 to $500 bucks,” Sanchez explained.
Now more people in Corpus Christi are experiencing this type of theft.
One Corpus Christi woman posted a warning on Facebook. She saw a man in a red truck with a saw cutting off someone’s converter.
To combat this problem. The legislation also aims to specifically stop crime rings that target the car parts by making it a first-degree felony for anyone involved with possessing more than $300,000 worth of converters.
If suspects are found to have used a gun during a theft, the punishment would increase as well.
