This month, state environmental officials discovered one of the largest illegal tire dump sites in recent history.

More than six thousand old tires are scattered on a large wooded property in Lithonia. Near the tires mosquitoes swarm and the entire area smells of rubber. Eric Sanders, a Department of Natural Resources ranger, found the tires.

“I said man that’s a lot of tires. And the more I got to looking at the location, the magnitude of the tires is unreal,” said Sanders.

After watching the property for about a week, Sanders and another ranger arrested 34-year-old Tobariz Smith.

“I saw the truck come in, turn into the driveway, then I came up to the back of the house, videotaped him dumping tires … After reviewing our surveillance and everything, he had thrown out 126 tires in less than 10 minutes.”

Sanders says Smith hauled them away from several small tire retailers in Cobb County.

“From what I understand he was getting anywhere $1.00 to $1.30 a tire. He was averaging $200, maybe $400 a day.”

This happens throughout Georgia. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division says there are nearly 200 illegal dump sites for tires.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources spokesman Mark McKinnon said, “Unfortunately, there is a financial incentive and that’s what they’re after is the money.”

Retailers pay haulers to take tires to a recycler. The recyclers are supposed to get part of the money. But illegal haulers skip that step and pocket all the profit.

That’s what happened to Ultimate Tire Service in Cobb County. Owner Julias Yubah says Tobariz Smith began hauling his tires this past spring.

“He asked me how much I was paying, where I dispose of my tires. I told him how much I was paying. He said he was going to beat that, he was going to give me a better deal.”

Yubah says he checked Smith’s paperwork and thought he was a legitimate hauler. He says he was disappointed to learn his tires were illegally dumped in South DeKalb County.