NBC News NOV 2022 / by , and / Read original article
Thefts of catalytic converters — antipollution car parts laden with valuable platinum, palladium and rhodium — have exploded since the pandemic began.
The Justice Department on Wednesday announced what officials called the first national takedown of a criminal enterprise profiting from the rampant theft of catalytic converters.
The scope of the car parts operation was huge: Officials said they will seek $545 million in forfeitures of cash, luxury cars and real estate.
“Amidst a rise in catalytic converter thefts across the country, the Justice Department has today carried out an operation arresting 21 defendants and executing 32 search warrants in a nation-wide takedown of a multimillion-dollar catalytic converter theft network,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
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