Pleasanton Police: 30 People Linked To Multistate 'Theft Ring,' $91K Recovered

PLEASANTON, CA — A joint Pleasanton and Livermore police investigation into catalytic converter thefts resulted in the discovery of a suspected theft ring operating in California and Oregon, police announced.

Livermore and Pleasanton police created a joint task force that resulted in the identification of 30 people believed to have ties to this suspected catalytic converter theft ring over the course of an 11-month investigation.

The task force served a search warrant on Oct. 25 in Stockton that resulted in the recovery of 50 catalytic converters, $91,000 in cash, illegal weapons, drugs and stolen cars, Livermore police said in a statement Wednesday.

Officials also identified several places allegedly acting as "chop shops," or places where stolen cars and car parts were sold. Two suspected chop shops were shut down, police said.

Livermore police did not respond Wednesday to an inquiry seeking information about how many of those people have been arrested or charged.

Catalytic converters are a relatively easy-to-steal, high-value item located behind a car's exhaust pipe. They can be stolen in minutes and sold for hundreds of dollars.

The thefts cost victims more than $1.2 million, police said.

The investigation kicked off in January after a Livermore resident reported a suspicious person nearby and provided police with a partial license plate number. Officers later learned a catalytic converter theft had taken place.

Livermore police said they made an arrest four days later and initiated an investigation to determine where thieves were taking stolen catalytic converters, as thefts were increasing locally and across the state.

Five months later, police learned their investigation touched three counties in California and elsewhere in Oregon.

The Livermore and Pleasanton police departments joined forces to create a six-person task force that pursued leads on catalytic converter thefts in their cities full time for two months, police said.

The task force learned that catalytic converters were stolen throughout California and Oregon, then dropped off at locations in Stockton and Placer counties, police said. Investigators conducted surveillance for thousands of hours and wrote more than 25 search warrants.

People arrested on suspicion of catalytic converter thefts were bailed out by other people linked to the suspected theft ring, police said.

The investigation concluded after officers served the search warrant in Stockton last month and recovered illegal and stolen items, police said. Police continue to seek arrest warrants for people linked to the theft ring.

In addition to the 50 catalytic converters recovered that day, officers also found evidence that hundreds of catalytic converters were dismantled at the suspected chop chops.