Cars' catalytic converters being targeted in Tampa

Tampa police say they're dealing with an unusual crime that could affect any Bay area driver.

Thieves are stealing catalytic converters from underneath cars and then selling them to scrap yards. Police raided one of those scrap yards on Thursday, finding hundreds of the converters inside a warehouse on Third Avenue and 17th Street in the Ybor City area. They say it was the first big bust of this kind in Tampa.

Police say the catalytic converters are popular with thieves because they contain precious metals like rhodium and platinum. Detectives say since January, 150 people in Tampa have been victims of this crime.
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"This is a rising problem that we're seeing," said Tampa Police Detective Ashley Roberts. "It's not only in the city of Tampa, but it's countywide."

Police say they got a tip that the International Core Supply business was buying the stolen parts from thieves, so they set up a sting.

"The undercover officer came in, got the dialogue that they are stolen catalytic converters and they bought [them] without any problems," said Roberts.

Police say the thieves got about $75 per converter from the scrap yard. Then the scrap yard sold them for about $300 each.

The owner of Mike's Auto Shop in Tampa, Mike Giaccone, says stealing catalytic converters can be done in 5-10 minutes.

"It'd be very easy to move it, like I said, with a Saw Zaw and that's all you do is end up cutting the back off here, cutting the front off and you're gone," said Giaccone.

"We just want to make a statement that if anybody that is doing this, whether they're taking them or they're dealing, the same exact thing's going to happen to them," said Roberts.

Catalytic converters, which are attached to cars' mufflers, are used to help keep the air clean.

Cat Thieves

This would be doing some of people a favor

 

Thanks for the update

I removed all of mine to avoid vandalism

 

LOL..

me fucking too..

 

I was going to say, thank god I'm helping the cops out on this one, no vehicles to target for me

 

Thats crazy, but i dont have to worry about my cat getting jack'd. I dun have one.


EDIT: I just told my freind and he said he's gonna go to tampa this weekend. He's been wanting to eleminate/gut his cat for some time now.

 

wow...im so glad florida doesnt have emmisions..


we'd all be fucked because i dont have one either.

 

I took out all 3

 

lol damn it looks like im the only one that has to watch out for this

 

haha another reason i feel justified in gutting my cat lol

 

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