Global Courant 2023-05-12 05:55:04
Authorities in the Chicago area have recovered more than 600 stolen catalytic converters found on the property of a suspected thief.
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said he couldn’t think of any other bust across the country where more catalytic converters had been found.
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More than 600 stolen catalytic converters were found on the property of an Illinois man. (Cook County Sheriff’s Office)
Ramsy Sandoka, 40, is charged with a misdemeanor and misdemeanor charge of failing to keep records of purchases of recyclables, selling/buying catalytic converters and violating the metal recycling law.
On May 7, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office responded to a burglar alarm in Worth Township. No one was home when they knocked on the front door. As deputies walked by the property, they noticed hundreds of catalytic converters in a metal box and others piled up along the fence.
It belonged to Sandoka, authorities said. Investigators said he owned a towing company, but found no records that he or the company is licensed to buy, sell, recycle or own catalytic converters.
Rusted catalytic converters placed in a giant box. (Cook County Sheriff’s Office)
“Sandoka was unable to provide investigators with documentation to show that he owned the car parts or that he had a license to buy, sell, recycle or possess them,” the sheriff’s office said.
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On May 9, authorities seized the inverters, some of which appeared to have been recently cut off. Catalytic converters are a valuable target for thieves because of the precious metals they contain, which can be sold at a high price.