Catalytic converters are at the center of a Twin Cities crime wave.

Instapundit--Catalytic converters are at the center of a Twin Cities crime wave.

HOW IT STARTED: Minneapolis City Council Calls for Defunding the Police.

How it’s going: Catalytic converters are at the center of a Twin Cities crime wave. 

“Law enforcement officials say catalytic converters have become a hot commodity because the insides are coated with precious metals like palladium, rhodium and platinum, which remove the worst toxic pollutants from the car’s exhaust. 

The value of those metals is skyrocketing: Platinum was going for more than $1,200 an ounce Thursday, according to several online trading sites. 

Thieves can sell the converters to scrap yards that pay up to a few hundred dollars apiece, or fetch a pretty penny by hawking them on Facebook marketplace and other websites featuring used car parts...read all.