2020–2022 catalytic converter theft ring

From 2020 to 2022, an organized criminal group stole and then resold catalytic converters through the United States. The regional theft rings sent their stolen catalytic converters to DG Auto Parts in Freehold, New Jersey, who removed the precious metals from them and ground them into dust. The precious metals were then sold to Dowa Metals and Mining America for refining, after which they were sent to Japan; these sales are believed to have generated approximately $545 million in revenue for DG Auto Parts.

The investigation that led to the discovery of the interstate theft ring was prompted by a wave of catalytic converter thefts in the Oklahoma area in late 2020 and early 2021, with similar rises across the United States. On May 2, 2021, police became aware of Tyler Curtis, the owner of Curtis Cores in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, when he was involved in a traffic stop where (among other illicit things) 128 catalytic converters were found in the bed of his pickup truck; all had jagged edges, suggesting they had been stolen. By September, a team of investigators had linked Curtis Cores with DG Auto Parts, which was owned by Navin and Tinu Khanna.

The investigation expanded between then and the third quarter of 2022, by which time it was nicknamed Operation Heavy Metal, included over 70 local and federal agencies and linked independent investigations into regional theft rings in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, New York and Virginia. On November 2, police executed simultaneous search warrants across the US on over 32 sites, resulting in 21 arrests in 5 states. The dismantling of the interstate theft ring was described as the first national takedown of a catalytic converter theft ring by the Department of Justice.

Following the dismantling of the interstate theft ring, the theft of catalytic converters dropped dramatically. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, over 5,000 catalytic converter thefts were reported per month in 2022. In the first nine months of 2023, there were 2,675 catalytic converter thefts reported per month. Provided by Wikipedia