A Rowlett couple is among those arrested in a nationwide FBI crackdown on a network of catalytic converter thieves and their fences.
Tommy Chau, 48, and his wife Maggie, 47, were arrested Wednesday on state organized crime charges.
More than 22 people in at least 10 states were arrested in connection with what federal agents call a "multi-million-dollar catalytic converter theft network."
Homes, salvage yards and storage facilities were searched in numerous cities including Tulsa and Sherman and states from California to New Jersey, prosecutors said.
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The Texas case started several months ago when Carrollton police seized hundreds of stolen converters.
Detectives said they found the couple was trafficking the stolen parts far from home.
"In fact, these folks were utilizing these shipping containers to ship out of state to New York to a recycler to get the money from these metals,” Carrollton detective Michael Wall told NBC 5 in September.
Police said the thieves often move stolen converters to states other than Texas, where strict laws on recyclers make it hard for crooks to cash in.
Investigators hope the crackdown will put a dent in the stolen catalytic converter business nationwide.
But with metal prices still high, and with converters so easy to snatch, the fear is that others will step in to fill the void.
The Chau's were being held in the Dallas County jail Wednesday night.
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