Mexicali, May 22. The theft of vehicle catalytic converters in Mexicali is an illegal activity that is uncontrolled due to the ease with which the device is sold , costing more than 20,000 pesos on the black market due to the precious metals it contains , such as palladium, platinum, and rhodium.
The state's Citizens' Committee on Public Safety explained that the unofficial number of cases of this crime is increasing because few reports are being filed with authorities, as those affected prefer to buy another device or replace it with a welded tube.
Los Porkys, Los Verrugas, Los Chorizos, Los Chirujos, and Los Servandos are the main gangs specializing in catalytic converter theft identified in Mexicali by the State Attorney General's Office (FGE) and the Municipal Public Security Directorate. The latter agency estimates that there are between three and four thefts of these car components every day in this city, and the number is increasing.
Binational scope
However, one litigant consulted warned that under the Baja California Penal Code, the theft of a rearview mirror is the same as the theft of a catalytic converter, despite the fact that "it is an illegal activity within a lucrative business with binational reach ."The FGE Intelligence Unit has detected that the majority of stolen devices in this border city are sent primarily to businesses in Arizona and, to a lesser extent, to California , where in the recent five-year period, gangs operating in Calexico and El Centro, in Imperial County, were discovered.
On the black market, there are public buying and selling businesses where, for example, the price of a catalytic converter for a Chevrolet Express Panel van reaches 24,000 pesos, and that of a compact Honda Accord, models from 1998 to 2015, reaches around 16,000 pesos.
