The Beaumont Police Department has arrested 6 men from different area scrap yards. The arrests comes after a 6-month undercover investigation called "Operation Steel Curtain."
Over 6 months, police say undercover officers sold restricted metals to four local scrap yards.
The businesses purchased items like gravestone markers, city street signs, and city manhole covers according to a press release.
Police say if they can put a dent into the buyers, they can stop the people who steal restricted metals and things like A/C copper to sell to scrap shops.
Police say they still need to serve warrants for four people. One has agreed to surrender to police Friday. As for the other three, police believe one to be in Mexico, one to be in Dallas, and one still in the City of Beaumont.
Police say warrants were served at these businesses for illegally purchasing restricted metals:
V. V. Recycling - 1 warrant
Angel's Scrap Yard - 1 warrant
Wright's Scrap Recycling - 3 warrants
Beaumont Iron and Metal Corporation - 1 warrant.
Five men arrested Wednesday face a felony charge of theft. One man faces a misdemeanor charge of theft.
12 News HD spoke with one of the six companies listed on Beaumont PD's press release. Commercial Metal Corporation says they were never served warrants and were never part of the investigation.
