It's a problem everywhere. While I'm not one for "bigger government," it sure seems like if ever there were a sector to more rigorously regulate, it would be the scrap metal businesses. If those folks weren't buying (or were held accountable for buying stolen property), there'd be no market for the stuff. Sure, it would be hard to prove one way or another is everything that came in were stolen, but much of it is pretty obvious. I talked to a scrap business owner about this once. He said he could pretty easily tell who was hauling in stolen materials.

__________________
1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)