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A 43-year-old man police were seeking as part of a group of people accused of catalytic converter thefts in Winnipeg has been arrested.
Four people — three men and a woman — were arrested last week in connection with 13 thefts across the city between late April and early June. At the time of that announcement, police said they were still looking for the 43-year-old.
On Tuesday, an updated news release said the man was now in custody and charged with theft under $5,000 and mischief to property.
The investigation into the thefts began in May after the police service’s property crime unit noted the uptick in the number of reports for catalytic converter thefts.
The automobile parts, which convert pollutants in exhaust into less toxic substances, contain valuable precious metals.
The city saw a spike in thefts of the parts in 2021, but the number dropped dramatically after new provincial regulations for scrap metal buyers and sellers were introduced in 2022.
Video surveillance identified several suspects believed to be linked to the recent thefts, which caused more than $20,000 in damage, police said.
Police believe the people were working as a group.
Data provided by Manitoba Public Insurance shows a surge in catalytic converter thefts this year in Winnipeg, with more thefts so far in 2026 than in the last two years combined.
Catalytic converter theft claims opened with MPI as of July 16, 2026. (Submitted by Manitoba Public Insurance)
So far this year, there have been 192 catalytic converter thefts in the city. There were 85 thefts reported in the entirety of 2024 and 89 last year.
Police said the five people arrested are part of a group that’s believed to have been involved in the majority of the thefts this year.
The number of thefts has “noticeably decreased” since the arrests, a police spokesperson told CBC in a statement on Tuesday.