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The Bladen County Sheriff’s Office is implementing North Carolina General Statute 66-406 which requires all buyers and dealers in precious metals to obtain a permit from the sheriff’s office.
The Sheriff’s office hopes that this will be a weapon in combating the theft of catalytic converters that have been stolen across Bladen County over the past several months that are sold for scrap metal to support the purchase of illicit drugs by the thieves. The permit requires the dealer and its employees to be registered with the Sheriff’s office and to allow the sheriff’s office to inspect the business records of the business showing who has sold precious metals to the dealer.
“We have had church van’s, construction trucks, cars, and other items that have been targeted over the past several months”, said Sheriff Jim McVicker. “We hope that in implementing this statute that it will help us in combating this problem.”
Anyone needing a permit to purchase precious metals should contact the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office at (910) 862-6960.
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