SAN FRANCISCO—Police announced on Saturday, January 1, that they are looking for suspects that have been seen casing local cannabis dispensaries in the Oakland area.
Descriptions of the suspects are not known but officials do have a description of the vehicles involved. According to police, both cars are dark in color and one could possibly be a Dodge Charger, the other a Nissan Coupe.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the police department. Please call (510) 777-3333 if you have any information that could help with this case.
In the past few months cannabis dispensaries have been subject to smash-and-grab robberies. Many of these robberies turned violent according to Oakland Police Chief LeRonne L. Armstrong. LeRonne stated in a press release that more than 175 shots were fired during cannabis robberies in Oakland in November 2021.
According to reports, Cannabis businesses are easy targets for smash-and-grab robberies because many of them operate in cash because marijuana is still illegal under federal law which makes it difficult for these businesses to work with banks. Cannabis products are also easily sold in unregulated markets.
