Why Catalytic Converter Thefts Are Surging Again in Southern California

• Deputies in Los Angeles and Orange counties seized roughly 2,400 stolen catalytic converters worth about $4.3 million and arrested five people tied to a theft ring on September 4.
• The bust caps a three-month investigation and comes as rhodium, the precious metal driving the crime, swung as high as $12,000 an ounce earlier this year.
• Catalytic converter theft is climbing again nationwide after a sharp decline in 2023 and 2024, with St. Paul, Minnesota alone recording nearly triple the thefts it saw two years ago.

A $4.3 Million Haul Points to a Bigger Problem

A joint operation across Los Angeles and Orange counties broke up what investigators describe as a large catalytic converter theft ring, recovering roughly 2,400 stolen converters worth an estimated $4.3 million. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department led the raid on September 4, capping a three-month investigation that pulled in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, LA County Fire’s Hazmat Investigations unit, the California DMV, the California Department of Insurance, and City of Irvine code enforcement.

Deputies serving warrants at multiple locations in both counties also found shipping boxes packed with precious metals, two unregistered firearms, and more than $105,000 in cash. Five people face grand theft and conspiracy charges: Jorge Alberto Delgadillo, 35, of Maywood; Julio Moreno Reyes, 40, of Los Angeles; Gilberto Valdovino, 27, of Los Angeles; Brayan Cruz De Leon, 20, of Los Angeles; and Hugo Saenz Marin, 24, of Compton.

Why Thieves Are Back Under Cars With Saws

Catalytic converters contain small amounts of platinum, palladium, and rhodium, metals used to clean exhaust emissions before they leave the tailpipe. Rhodium is the one that makes the crime worth the risk. The metal spiked to more than $12,000 an ounce in late February 2026 and stayed above $11,000 through March, before easing to roughly $8,500 by May. Even at that reduced level, rhodium sells for several times the price of gold, and a single converter can contain enough of it to net a thief several hundred dollars in under two minutes of work with a battery-powered saw.

Theft rates track those metal prices closely. Carfax data shows more than 137,000 converters were stolen nationwide in 2025, down from an earlier peak in 2023 but still elevated compared with the years before rhodium prices took off. Local numbers tell the same story in miniature. St. Paul, Minnesota police reported 505 thefts in 2025, up from just 172 the year before, and logged 97 more in the first two months of 2026 alone, a jump of roughly 37 cases over the same stretch in 2025.

What a Stolen Converter Actually Costs a Driver

For the driver whose converter gets cut off, the financial hit lands fast and hard. The average insurance claim for a stolen catalytic converter runs about $2,900, and out-of-pocket replacement costs can top $3,500 once labor and any collateral damage to the exhaust system or wiring get factored in. Drivers who carry only liability coverage, without theft-and-damage protection added on, typically pay the full repair bill themselves, as converter theft falls outside standard collision coverage.

One St. Paul driver, Bill Ruff, described the moment he discovered his truck had been hit outside a Minnesota Wild game: turning the key and hearing what he called “a rocket ship going off.” His repair bill came to $3,777, with insurance covering most of it after his deductible. Security footage showed two people surveying his vehicle and removing the converter in a matter of minutes.

Which Vehicles Thieves Target

Carfax’s nationwide ranking puts the Ford F-150 at the top of the target list, followed by the Hyundai Tucson and Ford Explorer, with the Ram 2500 and Chevrolet Silverado close behind. Trucks and SUVs with higher ground clearance make easy targets: thieves can slide underneath without jacking the vehicle up first. A standard converter typically nets a thief $25 to $300 once sold for scrap, but a converter pulled from a hybrid can bring in up to $1,400. Hybrid gas engines run less often and stay cooler, so their converters need more precious metal to work efficiently. That premium keeps the Toyota Prius near the top of law enforcement watch lists nationwide, a compact sedan holding its own against a list otherwise dominated by trucks and SUVs.

Parking near a curb, in a garage, or under a well-lit area near building entrances all reduce the odds of becoming a target, according to law enforcement guidance issued alongside the Southern California bust.

How Law Enforcement Is Fighting Back

More than 30 states now have laws specifically targeting catalytic converter theft, generally requiring scrap buyers to record seller identification, vehicle information, and the converter’s origin before completing a purchase. California’s own restrictions require documented proof of ownership before a scrap yard can legally buy a converter, rules investigators say helped build the case against the Southern California ring by making the stolen metal harder to launder through legitimate buyers.

Minnesota passed similar legislation in 2023, requiring converters to be marked with a date and vehicle identification number at the point of removal. St. Paul police say the law hasn’t stopped the recent rebound in thefts, suggesting that as metal prices climb, the profit motive outweighs the deterrent effect of stiffer penalties for at least some thieves.

How to Protect Your Car

Drivers can take several concrete steps to make their vehicle a less attractive target. Etching the vehicle identification number onto the catalytic converter helps police trace it if recovered and makes stolen units harder to resell through legitimate scrap channels. Aftermarket anti-theft devices, ranging from steel cages that bolt around the converter to simple cable locks, add enough time and difficulty to push most thieves toward an easier target elsewhere. Parking with the passenger side against a curb limits access, as most thieves work from that side of the vehicle, and a motion-activated light or dash camera aimed at the undercarriage can also serve as a deterrent.

Sources:

• CBS Los Angeles: $4.3 Million Worth of Catalytic Converters Seized
• CBS Minnesota: Catalytic Converter Thefts Back on the Rise