The Marin County Sheriff’s Office has arrested two suspects after discovering several hundred stolen catalytic converters stacked up in a storage facility in Novato.
The sheriff’s office made the announcement Friday.
“An alert citizen noticed two people basically up to really suspicious activity, cutting what they thought were catalytic converters,” said Sergeant Mike Brovelli.
The citizen was correct. Officials found more than 300 catalytic converters inside Novato Self Storage near the Novato airport.
They arrested Abner Deleon Cifuentes and his long-term girlfriend Elizabeth Herrera, both of Novato.
“What the suspects did – they were selling the catalytic converters to recycling centers,” said Brovelli.
Authorities found receipts showing Herrera and Cifuentes had sold over 2,500 catalytic converters since January 2021.
Brovelli told KCBS Radio that the couple likely made $600,000 or $650,000 off the stolen parts.
The catalytic converters were probably purchased from a variety of criminals, officials said.
“Most of the time, the catalytic converters were stolen from Toyotas,” Brovelli noted, naming Priuses and 4Runners as the prime targets.
The couple was booked into the Marin County Jail on charges of possession of stolen property, failure to maintain records related to the purchase or receipt of used catalytic convertors and operating an auto dismantler without a license.
Investigators hope the find will make a dent in the growing thefts of catalytic converters in Marin, and possibly elsewhere.
The investigation is ongoing.
