Hundreds of converters and $260K cash recovered, six suspects arrested
For several months, the Alameda Police Department and other Bay Area agencies have been collaborating with the Alameda County’s Regional Auto Theft Task Force (ACRATT) regarding the purchasers of stolen catalytic converters. According to a June 15 APD post on Facebook, members of APD assisted ACRATT with the execution of a search warrant last week at two Oakland properties. The collaborative efforts yielded the recovery of hundreds of catalytic converters, thousands of dollars of cash, stolen vehicles, and firearms.
Six people were arrested in connection with the wide-ranging catalytic converter theft operation throughout the Bay Area.
The most popular comments on the APD Facebook post about the arrests were to thank the officers involved and to ask if the converters would be returned to the people from whom they were stolen. The APD did not immediately provide an answer.
The long-term ACRATT investigation involving a prolific catalytic converter fencing operation and crew responsible for thefts throughout the Bay Area was initiated in mid-2022, according to the California Highway Patrol. Investigators identified two locations in the city of Oakland that were fencing the stolen catalytic converters.
Last week, on June 9, ACRATT, the Alameda County Narcotics Task Force, and the Oakland Police Department simultaneously executed search warrants at both locations. They found 240 stolen catalytic converters, one stolen vehicle, stolen property, three firearms (two of which were stolen), and approximately $260,000 in cash.
Investigators arrested and booked 39-year-old Jorge Perez Garcia, 41 year-old Nelson Alvarado Herrera, 38-year-old Oscar Alvarado Herrera, 31-year-old Luis Monterroso-Veliz, 44-year-old Pedro Maravilla, and 42-year-old Santos Contreras, all of Oakland, on multiple charges of possession of stolen property, criminal conspiracy, and tampering with a vehicle without the owner’s consent.
The Alameda County Regional Auto Theft Task Force is a multi-agency task force consisting of the California Highway Patrol, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, Oakland Police Department, and the Alameda County Probation Department. Additional departments that assisted with this operation were the Alameda Police Department, the CHP Golden Gate Division Investigative Services Unit, CHP Computer Crimes Investigation Unit, Dublin Police Department, and the National Insurance Crime Bureau.