Louisiana Business Owner Frustrated by Continual Copper Thefts Destroying His AC Units

Iberia Parish business owner, Dr. Adel Malahmeh, has several business properties in the area that have had to deal with damage being done to his air conditioning units. Thieves are damaging them to get to the copper inside which can be sold for scrap according to KATC.

Malahmeh, a chiropractor, says his chiropractic clinic has been hit by thieves twice, and now he's questioning whether or not to even replace the units. A standard 3-ton unit for his business costs about $4,200 to replace. He also points out that he knows his patients aren't going to want to be in a hot facility.

He says the problem is adding up. The man owns about 90 properties in several parishes, and nine air conditioning units have been damaged so thieves can get to the copper in the condensers. He worries about the impact on his bottom line.

He is quoted as saying, "They are gonna put me out of business.".

While the thieves haven't stolen the whole unit, there is a great idea from a KSHB report:

It's sad to think in this world we have to think about putting locks and cages on our air conditioning units, but this may become the "norm" if acts like these continue.

Here are some other great ideas on how you can protect your unit from thieves from @AIRDEPOT on X:

We spoke to Dr. Malahmeh's attorney, Frank Barber, who says they did file a police report, and he is hoping they won't have to deal with any more thefts.