He was only in the grocery store a few minutes today, but when Ed Myers tried to leave, his truck sounded like a lawnmower.

"I came back out, started the vehicle, and there was a hell of a noise like my muffler was busted," said Myers.

It was -- sort of. While Myers shopped in Metairie, someone cut off and stole his catalytic converter.

"Broad daylight, 15 minutes or less and they were.. $500 piece of equipment and gone," said Myers.

Between July 8 and 16, there were more than a dozen reports of catalytic converter thefts reported in Jefferson Parish alone.

Many of the crimes happened at businesses along Veterans Boulevard, where Myers was hit Monday.

It's a growing problem around here and around the country because of the rising black market value for the parts, which contain precious metals like platinum and palladium.

Experts say the thieves are targeting people with trucks and sport utility vehicles,  primarily because of their height off of the ground, which allow for easier access.

However, they aren't just stealing the parts from vehicles.

Someone broke into Michael Anderson's auto repair shop in Metairie a couple weeks ago, and stole several converters.

"They didn't touch tools, equipment, I mean, thousand dollars worth of scan tools they didn't touch. They broke in to get to my stack of used, scrap catalytic converters. That's what they wanted," said Anderson.

A victim himself, Anderson has seen the number of thefts pick up in recent weeks as customers have brought in their damaged cars.

"It used to be one a month, and then it was a couple a month, and now it's once a week. And, I'm just one shop. All of the shops are getting the same thing, you know, at least one or two, a week or so," said Anderson.

Mechanics say the thieves use battery powered saws, which cut through the pipe easily.

“Like hot butter,” Anderson says before adding, "It's quick money, it's really quick money."

But the crimes leave victims like Ed Myers with hefty repair bills.

"That's probably a $500 replacement, and the real problem with that, they're gonna sell it somebody. Who's the somebody buying this?" he asked

Mechanics say the answer -- scrap dealers.