More than $1M stolen catalytic converts seized in Houston raid, 6 arrested

[ripcord]

HOUSTON — Investigators seized 477 catalytic converters in an early morning raid Thursday. Seven locations throughout the Houston area, including a warehouse, were hit.

KHOU 11 reporter Anayeli Ruiz worked with her law enforcement sources and got an exclusive inside look at the months-long investigation that stemmed from the death of Deputy Darren Almendarez, who was shot while trying to stop thieves from taking his catalytic converter. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation was personal.

Investigators said the hundreds of thefts were part of something bigger.

“It’s part of a big organized crime,” HCSO Sergeant Jeff Thomas said. “We do have some cutters, maybe some of the top people of the organization today.”

https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime/catalytic-converter-bust-more-than-1m-of-stolen-goods-seized-1-arrested-harris-county/285-ba43f167-597b-4c2a-b34d-0ca70b9b0cb0

What bothers me about this is that we are almost guaranteed to see plea bargins here, each of these converters should be a separate charge and the sentences should run consecutively, I am so tired of seeing thieves taking advantage of people who are just trying to get by. I honestly don't care how many people we have in prison we need to take our lives back from the trashy people who steal because they are too lazy or stupid to work.

[MichMan]

1. 477 divided by 6 is 79 converters for each person arrested

How much time should a sentence be for each charge if they were served consecutively? One year each charge?


That would be 79 yrs each. If it were 6 months each charge, that would be 39 years in jail.

Can't see how that would be appropriate.

[ripcord]

4. Why not?

If they committed 79 crimes why shouldn't they pay for each one? It was their decision to become thieves and prey on innocent people, if you are going to do the crime you should damn well expect to do the time. Ask yourself how these people felt and how much they had to pay for repairs, how much time did it make them miss work? These are the people you should be concerned for not the trash who stole from them.

[MichMan]

6. You're right. Life sentence for stealing stuff.

Maybe if they are juveniles they can get out when they are 60 or so.

[ripcord]

7. They had a choice

They chose to victimize people day after day, it isn't like these were stolen from the same place, they were each taken in separate and individual instances.

[Boomerproud]

10. I would like to be reimbursed by the little punk who knocked me

down at a gas station and stoled my car and purse. 800.00 in rental car fees and 18,000.00 for a used car.

[moonscape]

16. Yikes!

[Frasier Balzov]

2. Hopefully leads to more disruption of this vile business model.

Follow the money and sue the bastards.

[herding cats]

3. I dive a car, not a big target, but I know 2 folks who had this happen.

It's horrific, expensive and takes way to long to fix.

These people doing this, buying these and creating the market all need to go to prison.

[Demovictory9]

5. Happened to me recently. $1800 replacement cost

[Captain Zero]

14. what type of vehicle??

they have been hitting around here, but I have a sedan that is low to the ground, and I hope that is saving me from being hit by them.

[Demovictory9]

18. Corolla. They bring a small jack and quickly lift car on cat conv side

I now park with cat conv side inches from wall

[dalton99a]

8. Too bad these assholes can't be shot on sight

A vehicle is a necessity of life for working people in Texas

[USALiberal]

11. Shot on sight??? Really?

[moonshinegnomie]

12. in texas they can

if you see someone try and steal your converter under texas law you can shoot them

[DFW]

9. These theft rings always prey on people who can least afford to be the victims

The Cadillacs in the gated communities aren’t worth the risk. The Fords and Chevies in the working class neighborhoods are. Theft rings are big business with structure and hierarchy. This is not some poverty-stricken guy stealing a can of soup to feed himself. These are well-organized, heartless enterprises with a profit motive, a solid business structure, and the heartlessness of a private health insurance conglomerate. The only way to stop them is to make the potential risks outweigh the potential profits. The suggestion of a 25 year prison sentence is probably both drastic and effective. Not many 20 year old car thieves want to risk being locked up until they are 45, no matter how much per catalytic converter their bosses pay them. The 25 year hiatus in their social lives might be a price too high to pay for most of them.

In Europe we have the same problem, made worse by close-by borders with countries who don’t care about theft rings operating in “other” countries. For over 30 years, the Germans have had the expression, “heute gestohlen, morgen in Polen.” Stolen today, in Poland tomorrow. In the meantime, there are now just as many chop shops near the Czech border as there are on both sides of the Polish border.

[Owl]

13. I support maximum incarceration for these assholes.

[MagickMuffin]

15. The Enforcers really got on it once one of their enforce's lost their life

Gave them motivation to do something about it.

Were the Enforcers doing anything about this before Deputy Darren Almendarez was a victim?

I'm sorry Deputy Darren Almendarez lost his life protecting his property.

But it's good to know that the thieves are locked and loaded!

[Mosby]

17. The way to stop this is to regulate the recyclers better.

They sell these catalytic converters somewhere. Take that away and there worth nothing.

Who's buying these?