Milton, Vt.- Two Vermont businesses were hit by metal thieves in the last few days.
Police say $3,000 worth of copper cable was stolen from Fairpoint Communications in Milton.
In Williston, roughly $8,000 worth of copper wire was taken from a construction company.
Vermont's Commissioner of Public Safety, Keith Flynn, says it all links back to drug addiction.
"Taking these non-ferrous metals and converting them into cash, it becomes one avenue of coming up with a financing tool that continue to support that habit," Flynn said.
However, there is a new bill, which just passed the Vermont legislature, that cracks down on scrap metal processors.
"If someone comes in with a non-ferrous metal such as copper for instance, they're going to have to get identification from this person. And they're going to have to get a source as to where this person got the scrap metal from," Flynn said.
The bill will take effect starting July 1. If metal processors do not report people who sell metal without an ID, they could face a $1,000 fine.
