There is a huge catalytic converter recycling plant in San Marcos.

https://pgmoftexas.com/

When I ran parts stores 15-20 years ago we had a wave of these things being stolen. Went out to jump in one of my delivery trucks and they had nabbed them off all my S10's and Rangers...and that's back when they just had 1 cat and were probably getting $50 for them, if that

Lots of junkyards cut the cats off inbound cars and take them to be recycled by the truckload

When you have teenage kids selling cats the buyers know they are stolen.

Which sure makes it easy to launder the ones they purchase over the counter.

Nothing wrong with that.

...and the buyer should know better then. They are only contributing to the problem.

Came in on a Monday and found out that 12 of our new Tundra's had been hit. Everything from the manifold to the tail pipe had to be replaced to fit factory spec's so we could sell them as a new vehicle. So we had Tundra's that sat on the lot for quite a while that could not be sold. I have to admit they did sound good without the missing cats.

Wasn't too long after that that we came in to find multiple vehicles sitting on wooden blocks as they had stolen all the tires and rims off the trucks, cars, and suv's. Cost a lot to replace them also. Thankfully insurance paid for the losses but did not pay for the security and camera's we had incorporate into the business.

Friend of mine went to jump in His new Gasser Motorhome last week from RV storage yard and yeah,,, . they cut converter off.

2-10. Third degree felony.

Go to a muffler shop. In general dealers replace everything a muffler shop just whats necessary. I was quoted $1600 ,when I had a bad section of exhaust pipe by the dealer, $298 to cut out the bad section and weld a new piece of pipe by the muffler shop.

I would love nothing more than to catch a mf'r stealing from me. They would be ... within an inch of their .... and I would not feel the slightest bit sorry. I guarantee they would make better choices in life moving forward.

Do you think the thieves care?

Don't think it is banned, he has been doing it for a couple years now. Was selling his cats to a guy till that guy pissed him off and he bought the equipment to do it himself. EPA and Dallas County is constantly at his yard doing inspections, if it was banned I doubt he would get away with it.

He buys the entire car and has to have a title to it so I doubt they are stolen. I do know that I have sold him some cats from junk cars we had at the lot and he even made me fill some form out and give my thumb print and I have known the dude for 35 years.

Look up catalytic converter scrap on eBay. That's where a lot of them are being sold.

Ghost cats. We need more laws to combat cat violence.

This guy is "winning"...LMFAO!

CA Man Dies...so sad!

Glad we have a criminal lawyer on here giving legal advice. I am not and never pretended to be a criminal lawyer, but I never understood it that way from a reading of the penal code, portions of which I have copied below:

Sec. 9.41. PROTECTION OF ONE'S OWN PROPERTY. (a) A person in lawful possession of land or tangible, movable property is justified in using force against another when and to the degree the actor reasonably believes the force is immediately necessary to prevent or terminate the other's trespass on the land or unlawful interference with the property.

(b) A person unlawfully dispossessed of land or tangible, movable property by another is justified in using force against the other when and to the degree the actor reasonably believes the force is immediately necessary to reenter the land or recover the property if the actor uses the force immediately or in fresh pursuit after the dispossession and:

(1) the actor reasonably believes the other had no claim of right when he dispossessed the actor; or

(2) the other accomplished the dispossession by using force, threat, or fraud against the actor.


Sec. 9.42. DEADLY FORCE TO PROTECT PROPERTY. A person is justified in using deadly force against another to protect land or tangible, movable property:

(1) if he would be justified in using force against the other under Section 9.41; and

(2) when and to the degree he reasonably believes the deadly force is immediately necessary:

(A) to prevent the other's imminent commission of arson, burglary, robbery, aggravated robbery, theft during the nighttime, or criminal mischief during the nighttime; or

(B) to prevent the other who is fleeing immediately after committing burglary, robbery, aggravated robbery, or theft during the nighttime from escaping with the property; and

(3) he reasonably believes that:

(A) the land or property cannot be protected or recovered by any other means; or

(B) the use of force other than deadly force to protect or recover the land or property would expose the actor or another to a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury.


Sec. 9.43. PROTECTION OF THIRD PERSON'S PROPERTY. A person is justified in using force or deadly force against another to protect land or tangible, movable property of a third person if, under the circumstances as he reasonably believes them to be, the actor would be justified under Section 9.41 or 9.42 in using force or deadly force to protect his own land or property and:

(1) the actor reasonably believes the unlawful interference constitutes attempted or consummated theft of or criminal mischief to the tangible, movable property; or

(2) the actor reasonably believes that:

(A) the third person has requested his protection of the land or property;

(B) he has a legal duty to protect the third person's land or property; or

(C) the third person whose land or property he uses force or deadly force to protect is the actor's spouse, parent, or child, resides with the actor, or is under the actor's care.

As you're being handcuffed and taken to jail...."but detective I read about it on the THF".