CONYERS — Two Henry County men are in custody after a recent sting operation in which the pair are thought to have stolen copper from more than 500 air conditioner units over the last year in Conyers and various locations.

Conyers Police arrested Damond Martez Cox, 34, and Detrick Jomont Henry, 26, both of Stockbridge and charged them with nine counts of felony theft and nine counts of damage to property in the second degree.

CPD Capt. Scott Freeman said in a press release Wednesday afternoon that police investigations began in May as a response to a noticeable spike in air conditioner unit thefts in the Conyers area. The police department set up video surveillance in several business parks and identified a vehicle thought to be involved in the thefts.

Weeks of surveillance determined the suspects would “scout out an area,” Freeman said, before the theft, then come back about 2 a.m. One of the men would allegedly drop off his partner at the location. The man left at the location would strip the units of the copper then call to be picked up and load the copper on the truck.

The pickup was rather quick, taking only about two minutes,” Freeman said in the press release.

It was the July 26 air conditioner unit theft at King Maintenance Service Inc. located on Brett Drive, that police identified Cox and Henry as possible suspects. With the help of the Henry County Police Department, Conyers police detectives searched Cox’s and Henry’s residence and turned up a sawed-off shotgun, a .357 handgun, AC parts, tools, and salvage yard receipts.

Copper thieves get an estimated $80 per unit, according to Freeman. But it seems to be lucrative enough, as air conditioner thefts have “plagued almost every community in the metro-Atlanta area.” Freeman said.

“In the end, we have stopped them from committing crimes here in Conyers and elsewhere throughout the state,” Freeman said.

So far, Cox and Henry have been linked to three local AC thefts, where a total of 10 units had copper removed.

But Freeman thinks police “have just seen the tip of the iceberg with this case.

“As of right now, we are working with a number of agencies in the metro-Atlanta area, and beyond, to see how many cases can be tied back to these two,” Freeman said.

In addition to the theft and property damage charges, Cox and Henry were also charged with criminal trespass, burglary and three counts of loitering and prowling.

The case is still under investigation and other charges, in and out of the Conyers jurisdiction, are pending.

Freeman commended the work by the Conyers police department.

“Building our case required considerable resources from every division in the department,” Freeman said. “In this case, we had very little information, but through our constant, relentless pursuit of the criminal element, we allocated the resources to get them off our streets and behind bars.”