Thieves target Canada Post vehicles for valuable part

Police are investigating the large-scale theft of catalytic converters from vehicles parked at Canada Post's processing plant near the Ottawa Train Yards last week.

The pricey parts were stolen overnight last Thursday from fleetvehicles parked at the depot at 1424 Sandford Fleming Ave., near Riverside Drive and Highway 417, Canada Post confirmed Monday.Ottawa police said 20 vehicles were targeted.

• Gone in 2 minutes: Thieves swiping pricey car part
• At least 118 cases of catalytic converter theft in Hamilton and Burlington since October

"We had a contingency plan to ensure this incident had a minimal impact on delivery, including deliveries this past weekend," Canada Post said in a statement.

Ottawa police said they were called about the incident Friday morningand are investigating the matter.

Catalytic converters area component of a vehicle's exhaust system, and are prized by thieves for the high-value metal they contain,which can besold at scrap metal yards.

Ottawa police warned of a string of similar thefts in March 2019, and there have been dozens of recent incidents in other parts of Ontario.