A vast operation having mobilized more than 170 gendarmes made it possible to dismantle a band of criminals suspected of having stolen more than 50,000 catalytic converters in several regions of France to export them mainly to Poland.
A vast operation having mobilized more than 170 gendarmes made it possible to dismantle a gang of criminals suspected of having stolen more than 50,000 catalytic converters in several regions of France to export them mainly to Poland, announced last Friday the parquet floor of Nîmes.
15 people arrested
Rich in rhodium, a metal six times more expensive than gold, and other rare metals, catalytic converters are attracting more and more thieves who resell them abroad.
The gendarmerie operation on Monday led to the arrest of 15 people and the seizure of 143,500 euros, 1,250 catalytic converters, 12 vehicles, pot cutting equipment, weapons and narcotics, detailed in a press release the prosecutor of the Republic of Nîmes, Cécile Gensac.
The prosecutor did not specify where the arrests took place, but said that a “clandestine gambling hall” had also been discovered.
“1500 jars per week”
“The loot was estimated at 1,500 pots per week, a total of more than 50,000 catalytic converters and several hundred thousand euros” since the gendarmes of Mende (Lozère) identified in October this “team of thieves radiating over several departments,” she explained.
“The pots stolen on the national territory were centralized each week in the Somme, then loaded into a semi-trailer bound for abroad, on behalf of a Polish company for the treatment and recovery of hazardous waste making use of documents inaccurate”, added the public prosecutor of Nîmes.
At the end of their police custody, 14 of those arrested were indicted on charges of “theft and concealment in an organized gang” and “management and export of hazardous waste in an organized gang”. Nine were placed in pre-trial detention and five under judicial control, according to the prosecutor.
Flights linked to the surge in the price of rhodium
Compulsory since the 90s, the catalytic converter is a part of the exhaust system which serves to reduce the polluting emissions of cars.
On the very speculative metals markets, the very volatile price of rhodium exploded under the effect of the recovery of the post-Covid automotive industry. Three years ago the gram of rhodium, of which only twenty tons are produced each year, for more than 80% in South Africa, was bought around 160 euros. On January 1, you had to pay more than twice as much, 335 euros.
The curve of thefts of catalytic converters, which can contain up to 1.5 grams of rhodium, followed the same trajectory.
