Nearly two dozen suspects tied to Oakland gangs have been charged in a number of burglaries targeting marijuana dispensaries across the state to the tune of more than $1 million in cannabis merchandise, authorities said Thursday.
In an operation dubbed Sticky Fingers, California Attorney General Rob Bonta along with law enforcement leaders from Oakland and Santa Cruz County announced the charges against 22 suspects who they say combined to steal more than $1 million worth of cannabis products from dispensaries in Northern California counties.
"Our message to those involved in these crimes is and has been unwavering: If you organize coordinated retail thefts, if you steal from our businesses and put our people in harm's way, if you try to make an easy buck off of other people's hard work, we will come for you," Bonta said.
The suspects broke into dispensaries overnight and stole gummies, edibles and a thousand pounds of plants, authorities said, adding that the items were then sold mostly through social media.
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"We are not talking about shoplifting a couple of packs of THC gummies. Far from it," Bonta said. "We're talking about coordinated schemes, organized efforts that hurt our businesses and pose a threat to our communities."
The 22 suspects combined have been charged with 32 felonies related to 15 incidents in the counties of Fresno, Kern, Merced, Monterey, San Diego, San Luis Obisbo, Santa Cruz, Solano and Sonoma, authorities said.
Half the incidents took place in Santa Cruz County, and that's where the suspects will be prosecuted, authorities said.
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Most, if not all, the suspects were members of gangs in Oakland, they said.
Oakland police believe several of the suspects are involved in other crimes in Oakland.
"We know that these individuals are involved in weapons possession, weapons trafficking," Oakland police Deputy Chief Frederick Shavies said. "There are some that have ties to auto thefts, carjackings and even felony assaults, including shootings."
Bonta also addressed the state's crackdown on organized retail crime in general.
"Customers deserve to walk into a store without needing to worry or keep an eye on emergency exits," he said. "Workers deserve to clock in and out of their shifts safely, knowing they’ll be safe. And business owners deserve to lock up their stores after a day of hard work without worrying that their products, while they are sleeping for the next day of work, won’t be stolen and resold overnight."
A couple of weeks ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state's organized retail crime task force had arrested more than 167 people in July, more than double the number from June. Since January, the task force has recovered more than $7 million in stolen goods, the governor's office said.
