Medford police have arrested a man they say is responsible for trafficking more than 28,000 stolen catalytic converters, worth about $7 million, since October 2021.
Detectives last week searched three locations in Bend and Medford in connection with the trafficking ring they had been investigating. They found and seized several tons of catalytic converters, and arrested 25-year-old Cedrus Jahson King.
Police said King was at the top of the organization. He faces 48 charges, including racketeering, theft, and unlawfully purchasing, transporting and receiving metal property. He will appear in court in January.
Catalytic converters are increasingly being stolen from people’s vehicles because the metals inside them can sell for thousands of dollars per ounce, and the parts can be hard to track.
In a separate case earlier this year, Beaverton police arrested a man they said was responsible for trafficking more than 44,000 stolen catalytic converters, worth more than $20 million. Police said that crime ring was centered in the Portland metro area, but reached as far as New York and Texas.
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