We finally got some answers.
Cable copper thieves hit AT&T underground vault in South Los Angeles
When copper is stolen, it can end up in places such as an alleged illegal scrapyard operation in a residential neighborhood.
At an early morning raid at a home in Lynwood, sheriff's investigators brought Eyewitness News along to show us the copper and other metals.
They said someone was dealing with scrap metal in his backyard.
"So we've got a few bags of communication wire. This communication wire happens to be burn as in they lit a fire to burn the insulation off. We've got some other structural wire.. this looks to be stripped down wire," said LASD investigator Ben Garcia as he pointed at mounds of metal wire in a truck bed.
They also found a truck outside with a driver allegedly buying some of that metal.
Detectives would like to know where it came from but they say in those conditions, it's almost impossible.
"Once the insulation is off, once the color is gone - we can't find it. Then it's just a copper wire," said Garcia.
But sometimes, a clue is left behind. In the truck, detectives also found the insulator for the copper wire.
"This little telephone symbol means it belongs to AT&T," said Garcia. "So we have an identified victim with this piece."
7 On Your Side Investigates has previously reported on how AT&T customers have lost landline service throughout Los Angeles due to stolen copper wires.
It's also a problem for other telecommunications companies and municipalities. Meantime, people are also stealing wires from street lights. The Sixth Street Bridge recently went dark when people stole copper wires connected to the bridge's lighting system.
Sheriff's Capt. Bobby Dean says, in the Lynwood raid, they found much more than just stolen metal.
"We've recovered a significant amount of narcotics, what appears to be stolen metal and some firearms at this residence. It's happened before. We've been at this house multiple times, and what we're trying to do is put the dent that we can in this problem," said Dean.
Copper theft has exploded in recent years, driven by soaring scrap prices.
Investigators say legitimate recyclers are required to verify sellers and document every transaction - but rogue operators are fueling the black market and the thefts keep coming.