West Coast Catalytic Converter Ring Busted

A ring that apparently covered the west coast and Texas.  Sounds like a very large ring.  They were shipping them to the east coast, so maybe more is to be learned there.

He was living in Lake Oswego Oregon, which the fancy area of Portland (where the big money people from Nike live).

Doyle, Hellbusch and the 12 other not-yet-publicly-named defendants are accused of trafficking more than 44,000 stolen catalytic converters with an estimated street value of more than $22 million since January.

Police officials said the organized crime ring was centered in the Portland area but also spanned six Oregon counties and Washington, Nevada, California, Texas and New York.

The crime ring shipped large boxes of converters to the East Coast and internationally, Henderson said. Dozens, if not hundreds, of people may have been involved in the operation, he added, but declined to share more details in the ongoing investigation as detectives are still gathering evidence.

https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2022/08/catalytic-converter-crime-ring-indicted-in-washington-county-connected-to-thousands-of-west-coast-thefts.html

Good.

So, I'm gonna ask the stupid question that I am sure someone can answer. Why do/did we not simply make it illegal for a scrappy to buy a berkeleypile of cut off catalytic converters? They know where they're coming from. They're creating the demand. I realize the oversight on something like that eod be difficult, but it seems like it would solve the crime rather quickly. 

Happy they're catching some of these clowns. My Sequoia has FOUR cats on it and even though I live in a good area with low crime, I park it in cheap motels and stuff when towing to races and always have this worry that I'll come out in the morning with my exhaust hacked.

This reminds me that I've been meaning to make some protection for the cats on that thing :)

Mndsm said:

So, I'm gonna ask the stupid question that I am sure someone can answer. Why do/did we not simply make it illegal for a scrappy to buy a berkeleypile of cut off catalytic converters? They know where they're coming from. They're creating the demand. I realize the oversight on something like that eod be difficult, but it seems like it would solve the crime rather quickly. 

I thought it was illegal..  

But with precious metals the cost they are, crushing and then processing the catalysts is suddenly very profitable (as well as the evidence is destroyed in the process).

Mndsm said:

So, I'm gonna ask the stupid question that I am sure someone can answer. Why do/did we not simply make it illegal for a scrappy to buy a berkeleypile of cut off catalytic converters? They know where they're coming from. They're creating the demand. I realize the oversight on something like that eod be difficult, but it seems like it would solve the crime rather quickly. 

Well, it is actually illegal to steal one, and that doesn't seem to stop people.

That said, in the Chicago area it is illegal for scrappers to buy cats from individuals. It does make it a bit harder to steal them for money but it still happens. 

Mndsm said:

So, I'm gonna ask the stupid question that I am sure someone can answer. Why do/did we not simply make it illegal for a scrappy to buy a berkeleypile of cut off catalytic converters?

We do.  New converters come with triplicate paperwork, one slip goes with the customer, one stays with the converter, and one stays on file at the repair facility.  You can get into Big Trouble as a repair facility if you don't keep those records up to a certain date.  (Not only is it illegal to remove converters, it is illegal to replace them without good reason, which gets written in the form)  Scrapyards can also get into Big Trouble if they accept a scrap converter without the paperwork.

Junkyards presumably do not have this paperwork because they are not replacing converters, just recycling them.  I suspect this is where the hole in the system is.  "Yeah this is ABC Auto Salvage, we have a container full of scrap converters to recycle."

It sounds like most of this guys stuff was shipped across the country then sent overseas, or maybe some big operation out there?  I don't think many of these go though traditional recyclers.  Apparently some are sold to less then legit shops that re-install them on cars with cutoff converters.

The big problem is the whole industry is full of ethically challenged slime balls.

Mndsm said:

So, I'm gonna ask the stupid question that I am sure someone can answer. Why do/did we not simply make it illegal for a scrappy to buy a berkeleypile of cut off catalytic converters? They know where they're coming from. They're creating the demand. I realize the oversight on something like that eod be difficult, but it seems like it would solve the crime rather quickly. 

Our local salvage shops are not allowed to buy converters without a title showing the car it came off of, proof of ownership of the car, and a photo ID. 

That slowed down thefts a good bit. What is getting stolen now is probably headed out of state. 

They built a $22 million dollar organization by the time they were 32. 

Yeah, it seems like most catalytic converters get stolen by not single individuals, but by people connected to bigger rings. My wife's car had its catalytic converter stolen. Interestingly enough, I was told the aftermarket catalytic converters are not as attractive to thieves as the original ones.

I have two catalytic converters in my garage (taken off of race cars) that I want to sell, but I have no idea who to sell them to that isn't a slimeball.  The cars I took them off of are long gone, and I don't want to be accused of stealing them.  I checked FB Marketplace and it looks... not legit.

In reply to Mndsm :

You are trying to regulate decency and integrity.....  that isn't possible.  Some people are just morally bankrupt.  You will never fix that.  

Mndsm said:

So, I'm gonna ask the stupid question that I am sure someone can answer. Why do/did we not simply make it illegal for a scrappy to buy a berkeleypile of cut off catalytic converters? They know where they're coming from. They're creating the demand. I realize the oversight on something like that eod be difficult, but it seems like it would solve the crime rather quickly. 

Short answer, laws don't matter to criminals. 

Long answer, without some sort of a national registry, tracking the converters once they leave county/state is almost impossible. Just takes one corrupt yard or bored chemist to make it worthwhile financially.

In reply to ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) :

I had good luck on eBay. 

In reply to ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) :

There has been a federal law against reselling a used cat for over 40 years. That said, I am in the market for one to put on a car. PM me with what you have, maybe one will depart. 

Maybe a weird coinkidink, but I recently sold a mountain bike to a guy who owns a business that recycles cats . . . in Georgia.  He also has a place in eastern Europe.

Assuming I can prove ownership of the Miata it came from, what is an OE catalytic converter typically worth at a salvage yard?

Hopefully they can get farther down the chain and see who the main wholesale buyers are , 

but it's such big money , getting a few top guys is not going to stop the thefts.