Police Crack Down On Recyclers Buying Stolen Metal
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Police say six men didn't actually steal copper and other valuable metals, but during a three month undercover investigation, detectives say the suspects helped make it profitable for the crooks that did, often with no questions asked.
"Detectives were able to sell metals that were clearly from municipal and utility companies and weren't asked any questions where it came from," said Lt. Justin Eklund, Sacramento Police Department.
The men are either workers or owners at two Sacramento metal recyclers police raided Wednesday.
When we visited River City Waste Recyclers, where five of the six men were arrested, we found the business re-opened just one day after the arrests, and a man who looks just like suspect Shaun Kilwani.
The man initially told CBS13 he didn't even work there.
Kalwani didn't want to answer any questions and told CBS13 to leave.
At Tomra Recycling Network, where one person was arrested, the manager did come out to talk to CBS13.
When asked about the arrest, the manager said he couldn't comment on the issue. And he apparently couldn't comment on much else either.
But Sacramento police, dealing with hundreds and thousands of dollars in metal thefts in recent years, hope the arrests will send a strong message to scrap metal recyclers.
"We hope with these arrests that we'll get all the scrap metal dealers to comply with the law," said Eklund.
