SAN PABLO – East Bay authorities on Tuesday arrested three men on suspicion of buying and selling millions of dollars worth of stolen copper wire and catalytic converters.
The San Pablo Police Department learned about the alleged sales last month and launched a joint investigation with the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, the law enforcement agency said in a news release.
Police said the investigation determined the suspects were “involved in the purchase, sales and possession of stolen catalytic converters and stolen copper wire.”
Around 8 a.m. Tuesday, officers and deputies served two search warrants in the 1700 block of Road 20 in San Pablo and in the 1000 block of Brookside Drive in Richmond.
A “significant cache of suspected stolen property” was recovered, including more than 700 catalytic converters, 1,000 pounds of copper wire and $113,000 in cash, police said.
“The suspects are believed to have been involved in an ongoing criminal enterprise to buy and sell stolen property, with more than $6.4 million in transactions in 2024 alone,” police said.
The men were arrested and expected to be booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on felony charges of grand theft of copper materials and receiving stolen property.
The case remains under investigation. Anyone with information can contact the police department’s investigations division at 510-215-3150.