Police: Hundreds of thousands of stolen catalytic converters seized in Long Island crackdown
MINEOLA, N.Y. -- Law enforcement on Long Island announced a massive seizure Wednesday of what they say are stolen catalytic converters, the culmination of a year-long investigation.
They seized truck loads of stolen items and millions in alleged cash proceeds.
Police say hundreds among the thousands were seized early Wednesday in what's been dubbed Operation Cat Track, a crackdown on thefts plaguing the region and the nation.
All of them were seized from warehouses in Island Park and Huntington, where Nassau Police say the stolen car parts were being harvested for the precious metals inside, skyrocketing in value.
"Rhodium, which is $12,000 an ounce, palladium, $1,800 an ounce, and platinum, which is $1,000 dollars an ounce," Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said. "They place it into a decanter. That decanter crushes it and out comes this dust. This is where the money is."
Police partnering with Homeland Security and the Postal Service searched the homes and businesses of two Long Beach brothers and a Huntington auto shop owner who were allegedly buying thousands of catalytic converters from thieves, then shipping the lucrative metals to Montana.
Police say nearly $4 million in cash was seized in their homes, another $10 million in bank accounts.
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"These are not simple thefts. These are criminal organizations that are profiting on a large scale," Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said.
"Catalytic converters, the theft has been an epidemic," said Glen McKechnie, with the U.S. Postal Service external probes team.
It's a troubling daily occurrence in Nassau County -- from 89 thefts in 2020 to more than 2,200 this year.
Police have a warning to the scrap yards that buy catalytic converters from thieves.
"Every scrap yard that has gone out and turned a blind eye, put your glasses on because the door's gonna be knocking. It's gonna be Nassau County Police," Ryder said.
"Crime does not pay. It may pay in the short term, but we will eventually track you down," Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said.
No one has been criminally charged yet, but officials underscored their message -- the investigation's far from over amid the seizures of truck loads of catalytic converters.
