Surrey man is facing criminal charges after he was busted with nearly 450 allegedly stolen catalytic converters.
Burnaby RCMP began investigating a surge in catalytic converter thefts in March 2021, dubbing the initiative Project E-Pagwa.
During the probe, they identified a man who was allegedly buying stolen catalytic converters through a mobile metal recycling business from thieves operating across the region.
Police allege the man was mixing the stolen parts in with catalytic converters that were legitimately salvaged and shipping them in bulk across the U.S. border.
Mounties raided the man’s home, business and industrial works yard in June last year, where they seized 439 catalytic converters, 392 of which were packaged for shipment to the U.S.
Prosecutors have since charged Jasvindar Singh, 50, with attempt to possess property obtained by crime over $5,000 and attempt to traffic property obtained by crime over $5,000.
Catalytic converter theft remains a growing problem in B.C. and across Canada, with the parts targeted due to the value of precious metals in them.
ICBC estimates in the first seven months of 2023, the crime was responsible for about $8.2 million in insurance claims.