H-Town: Massive Catalytic Converter Bust

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TxTarpon
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9:00a, 8/1/22

[url=https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime/new-details-houston-catalytic-converter-raid/285-638f9eeb-9890-44a2-9120-ccd8df17943a][/url]
Quote:
Massive catalytic converter bust: Court documents reveal more about how alleged theft operation worked

Those initially arrested have been identified by U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement as Jose Martinez, 19; Armando Martinez, 18; Isaac Castillo, 21; Terance Elder, 20; and Armando Martinez Sr., 39; all of Houston, and Jose Sanchez, 21-year-old of Dayton, Texas. Sanchez has since been released from custody and has no charges related to the incident.

Martinez Sr. is charged with engaging in organized criminal activity. He has since bonded out of jail. Elder, Armando Martinez Jr. and Jose Martinez are also charged with engaging in criminal activity. All four are due in court on Monday.
Hmmmm...international ring?


Quote:
A home on Lila Street in 5th Ward was one of the seven locations where the crooks were storing the catalytic converters, officials said. Other locations included a home on Buffington Street, a house in Dayton, Texas, and a warehouse on Shoreham Street.

In the video only Ruiz has, investigators could be seen tossing catalytic converters from the window of one of the homes. Thomas said some of the catalytic converts were stolen from as far as Galveston, College Station, Conroe and Huntsville, Texas.

Investigators said not only the 477 catalytic converters were recovered but also 2,800 oxygen sensors. Investigators also confiscated 29 firearms, 1 Glock switch and 1 stolen Hellcat.
KHOU says this

ABC 13 says this:

Quote:
Sources close to the investigation tell ABC13 these are preliminary numbers of items recovered in the bust: one stolen vehicle, 455 catalytic converters, 2,800 oxygen sensors, and 29 guns. L

Any bets on them having "Marbach Mop" haircuts?
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Sims
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9:05a, 8/1/22
AG
Hopefully the EPA goes after these guys as hard as they do for deleted diesel trucks.
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MouthBQ98
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9:07a, 8/1/22
AG
This is a crime everyone really hates right now. They might actually get prosecuted harder than murder suspects.
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txyaloo
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9:08a, 8/1/22
AG
They'll probably get popped harder for the unregistered machine gun than the cat thefts.
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Aggie4Life02
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9:08a, 8/1/22
AG
Catalytic converter thieves should be hung like cattle rustlers.
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Betoisafurry
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In reply to Aggie4Life02 • 9:09a, 8/1/22
Aggie4Life02 said:
thieves should be hung like cattle rustlers.


FIFY
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Slicer97
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In reply to Aggie4Life02 • 9:09a, 8/1/22
AG
Aggie4Life02 said:
Catalytic converter thieves should be hung like cattle rustlers.

I support this message.
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Forum Troll
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9:10a, 8/1/22
AG
Definitely need to go middle eastern on these guys and remove a thumb or right hand.
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LtZogg
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9:12a, 8/1/22
I wonder if mine is in that pile.
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
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BigRobSA
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9:14a, 8/1/22
Wow!

Why in the heck would they stockpile evidence?
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dallasiteinsa02
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In reply to BigRobSA • 9:17a, 8/1/22
BigRobSA said:
Wow!

Why in the heck would they stockpile evidence?

Police have been going after the scrap yards so their market has gotten harder. It shouldn't have taken so long for them to start asking why someone not in the auto industry was bringing truck loads of catalytic converters in. The same goes for copper wire. If the state would treat scrap yards like they do pawn shops, this would have been stopped long ago.
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TxTarpon
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In reply to BigRobSA • 9:17a, 8/1/22
Show up with that big of a load and someone might report them.
Space it out and it might go better?
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TxTarpon
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In reply to Sims • 9:18a, 8/1/22
Sims said:
Hopefully the EPA goes after these guys as hard as they do for deleted diesel trucks.
Right on!
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Sea Speed
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In reply to BigRobSA • 9:25a, 8/1/22
AG
BigRobSA said:
Wow!

Why in the heck would they stockpile evidence?


They are dumbass thieves, not rhodes scholars.
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Funky Winkerbean
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In reply to BigRobSA • 9:27a, 8/1/22
AG
BigRobSA said:
Wow!

Why in the heck would they stockpile evidence?
I suspect they are selling them to car repair shops to be installed on vehicles that had the CC stolen.
It is so easy to be wrong—and to persist in being wrong—when the costs of being wrong are paid by others.
Thomas Sowell
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BillYeoman
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In reply to BigRobSA • 9:30a, 8/1/22
BigRobSA said:
Wow!

Why in the heck would they stockpile evidence?


Probably to show their friends how rich they are….
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Cromagnum
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9:42a, 8/1/22
AG
Bonded out? That MF is long gone.
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Trajan88
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In reply to Aggie4Life02 • 9:52a, 8/1/22
AG
Maybe use crook's own saws to remove their hands... they'd have a difficult time stealing cat. converters in the future.
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LSB_2002
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9:58a, 8/1/22
AG
Nice looking place they have.........
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BigTex83
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10:00a, 8/1/22
AG
I bet my catalytic converters stolen from my truck 2 weeks ago are in that pile.
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captkirk
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10:00a, 8/1/22
AG
Were they in the country legally?
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fka ftc
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In reply to BigTex83 • 10:28a, 8/1/22
BigTex83 said:
I bet my catalytic converters stolen from my truck 2 weeks ago are in that pile Mexico.
Says in the article they are going out of state. Texas has cracked down pretty hard on repair shops and metal recyclers in an attempt to fight this problem. I would imagine our friends to the south have no issues with random pieces of car showing up for recycling or parts.
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Hammerly High Dive Crips
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In reply to TxTarpon • 10:37a, 8/1/22
TxTarpon said:
Quote:
Any bets on them having "Marbach Mop" haircuts?
So THAT'S what this haircut is called.



I remember first seeing it a few years back and thinking, poor kid's mom doesn't have enough money to get him a real haircut. Then I saw more and more kids in Houston with this cut and thought maybe it was a tribute to their Mayan ancestors who likely cut each other's hair with sharpened flint stone. Then I finally realized over time, nope, it's a carefully sculpted gang banger cut.

It's almost such a good identifier, you could pretty much lock up any cholo with this mop top and rest assured that they have done something to justify it.
Agnes Moffitt Rollin 60's - RIP Casper and Lil Ricky - FREE GOOFY AND LUCKY!
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ABATTBQ11
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In reply to Trajan88 • 10:44a, 8/1/22
AG
Trajan88 said:
Maybe use crook's own saws to remove their hands... they'd have a difficult time stealing cat. converters in the future.


Not if they put prosthetic saws on their hands.
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Line Ate Member
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In reply to ABATTBQ11 • 10:47a, 8/1/22
AG
Edward Sawhands. It will be in conflict with Edward 40-hands though.
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Whirligigs
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In reply to Betoisafurry • 10:51a, 8/1/22
Charlie Kelley said:
Aggie4Life02 said:
thieves should be hung like cattle rustlers.


FIFY
I support this, but in the specific case of converters, they should be flayed alive on a youtube feed. This would end yesterday.
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Kenneth_2003
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In reply to ABATTBQ11 • 10:54a, 8/1/22
AG
ABATTBQ11 said:
Trajan88 said:
Maybe use crook's own saws to remove their hands... they'd have a difficult time stealing cat. converters in the future.


Not if they put prosthetic saws on their hands.
Its a risk I'm willing to take.
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Burdizzo
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In reply to dallasiteinsa02 • 10:54a, 8/1/22
AG
dallasiteinsa02 said:
BigRobSA said:
Wow!

Why in the heck would they stockpile evidence?

Police have been going after the scrap yards so their market has gotten harder. It shouldn't have taken so long for them to start asking why someone not in the auto industry was bringing truck loads of catalytic converters in. The same goes for copper wire. If the state would treat scrap yards like they do pawn shops, this would have been stopped long ago.



I used to work for a large water utility. We had a couple of rogue repair crews who would repair copper water services. Every day at the start of work they would check out a bunch copper and brass fittings so they could make repairs. At the end of the day they were supposed to return all unused fittings so they could go back in stock. In reality they kept a five-gallon bucket behind the shop where they would dump a handful of fittings every day. Every few weeks when the bucket got full, one of them would sneak it out and take it to the scrap yard. My employers never knew it was happening until the scrapyard started noticing a lot of shiny, new, fittings and valves showing up regularly and started contacting plumbers around town. It tooks several weeks of surveillance to catch these guys in the act.
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MouthBQ98
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In reply to Hammerly High Dive Crips • 10:59a, 8/1/22
AG
SB 43rd STREET OG said:
TxTarpon said:
Quote:
Any bets on them having "Marbach Mop" haircuts?
So THAT'S what this haircut is called.



I remember first seeing it a few years back and thinking, poor kid's mom doesn't have enough money to get him a real haircut. Then I saw more and more kids in Houston with this cut and thought maybe it was a tribute to their Mayan ancestors who likely cut each other's hair with sharpened flint stone. Then I finally realized over time, nope, it's a carefully sculpted gang banger cut.

It's almost such a good identifier, you could pretty much lock up any cholo with this mop top and rest assured that they have done something to justify it.


Looks like Chekhov from the original Star Trek.
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AGHouston11
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In reply to BigRobSA • 11:32a, 8/1/22
AG
BigRobSA said:
Wow!

Why in the heck would they stockpile evidence?


They are making this out to be a huge bust.

Most trucks have 4 catalytic converters. This would be a little over a 100 trucks. As many as these criminals are hitting at one time this is about a couple of days work for a small crew.

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bonfarr
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11:35a, 8/1/22
AG
They need to bust the garage mechanics that are buying the stolen goods as well, as long as there is a market for these the thefts will continue.
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Funky Winkerbean
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In reply to fka ftc • 1:11p, 8/1/22
AG
fka ftc said:
BigTex83 said:
I bet my catalytic converters stolen from my truck 2 weeks ago are in that pile Mexico.
Says in the article they are going out of state. Texas has cracked down pretty hard on repair shops and metal recyclers in an attempt to fight this problem. I would imagine our friends to the south have no issues with random pieces of car showing up for recycling or parts.
Does Mexico have emissions laws?
It is so easy to be wrong—and to persist in being wrong—when the costs of being wrong are paid by others.
Thomas Sowell
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eric76
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In reply to Forum Troll • 1:21p, 8/1/22
AG
Forum Troll said:
Definitely need to go middle eastern on these guys and remove a thumb or right hand.
Remove a nut each theft conviction.

I wonder how many would keep stealing after losing the first.
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fka ftc
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In reply to Funky Winkerbean • 2:07p, 8/1/22
No, but they have scrap metal and parts places that do not ask many questions.
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The Fife
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In reply to Hammerly High Dive Crips • 2:08p, 8/1/22
SB 43rd STREET OG said:
TxTarpon said:
Quote:
Any bets on them having "Marbach Mop" haircuts?
So THAT'S what this haircut is called.



I remember first seeing it a few years back and thinking, poor kid's mom doesn't have enough money to get him a real haircut. Then I saw more and more kids in Houston with this cut and thought maybe it was a tribute to their Mayan ancestors who likely cut each other's hair with sharpened flint stone. Then I finally realized over time, nope, it's a carefully sculpted gang banger cut.

It's almost such a good identifier, you could pretty much lock up any cholo with this mop top and rest assured that they have done something to justify it.
Holy crap, we've got Romulans invading!
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