A burglary ring targeting cannabis dispensaries across the state stole about 1,000 pounds of cannabis products before the ring was dismantled and nearly two dozen suspects were arrested, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Thursday.
Bonta said the suspects robbed more than a dozen cannabis stores overnight, stealing products including edibles and plants valued at about $1 million and then selling them.
“Our message to those involved in these crimes is unwavering,” Bonta said. “If you’re going to organize coordinated robberies of businesses, if you’re going to steal from our businesses and put people, OUR “People who are in danger, if you try to make easy money from other people’s hard work, we will come for you.”
“We are fed up with organized crime in retail,” he added.
The robberies, Bonta said, occurred last summer and continued into July. In all, he said, the thieves were involved in about 15 incidents in nine counties, including Monterey, Solano, Kern, San Luis Obispo, Merced, Sonoma and San Diego. He added that half of those crimes occurred in Santa Cruz County.
“To be clear, we’re not talking about shoplifting a few bags of THC candy,” he said. “We’re talking about coordinated schemes, organized efforts that are harming our businesses and posing a threat to our communities.”
The suspects, he said, face dozens of criminal charges including organized retail crime, commercial burglary, conspiracy and robbery. Most of the suspects have been arraigned, some have been released on bail, he said.
Frederick Shavies, deputy chief of the Oakland Police Bureau of Investigation, said his department officially launched an investigation in February into marijuana trafficking and burglaries at marijuana dispensaries and grow operations.
He said investigators determined that the suspects involved in the crime spree not only had ties to Oakland street gangs, but also targeted several businesses across the state.
Investigators then contacted the California State Attorney General’s Office to ask for help investigating the thefts, dubbed Operation Sticky Fingers.
“We have coordinated our efforts with local law enforcement. [agencies] “We visited these different jurisdictions and contacted victims to better understand the magnitude of this criminal enterprise,” Shavies said.
He said the investigation would not have been possible without the cooperation of various police agencies and the state attorney general’s office.
“This operation not only made the city of Oakland safer, it made the entire state safer,” Shavies said.
Santa Cruz County Undersheriff Chris Clark echoed that sentiment.
“This collaboration and coordination is what the public should expect in terms of good law enforcement service and keeping our community safe.”
