22 charged in retail thefts targeting cannabis stores across California
More than 20 people have been charged in connection with a robbery scheme targeting cannabis dispensaries throughout the state, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said Thursday.
According to Bonta's office, criminal complaints were filed against 22 suspects who face multiple charges, including commercial burglary, grand theft, organized retail theft and conspiracy.
"The California Department of Justice is committed to rooting out organized retail crime in all its forms," Bonta said in a statement. "This announcement sends a clear message to would-be thieves: Organized retail crime will not be tolerated in California because it costs businesses, retailers, and consumers."
Bonta said the state's Department of Justice began partnering with the Oakland Police Department in February to investigate dispensary burglaries.
"The collaborative efforts not only make our community safer but the entire region and state. We are grateful to the Attorney General's Office and the Governor for their continued support," said Oakland Deputy Chief Frederick Shavies in a statement.
Throughout the investigation, authorities learned of at least 15 burglaries in nine California counties, stretching from Sonoma County to the north to San Diego County to the south. Prosecutors said the suspects would meet at predetermined locations, travel to the dispensaries, and break in during the overnight hours.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office joined the investigation after authorities determined a "large number" of the thefts took place there.
"This work demonstrates that crossing into another jurisdiction doesn't exempt you from accountability for crimes committed here or anywhere else," said Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart in a statement. "These burglaries are damaging the livelihoods of law-abiding business owners, and we will not tolerate it."
Prosecutors said the group was also responsible for burglaries in Fresno, Kern, Merced, Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Sonoma counties.
The dispensaries experienced a total loss of about $1 million and 975 pounds of cannabis.
On July 17, authorities served a series of arrest and search warrants, leading to multiple arrests and more than 50 pounds of cannabis being seized.
Authorities did not reveal the suspects' names.
