SF dispensaries blame labor interior after spate of robberies

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Influential players in San Francisco’s cannabis industry have blamed an increase in burglaries on inside work, with marijuana losses more than doubling in the state from a year ago.

SF dispensary owners gathered Thursday morning to denounce the upsurge in burglaries, robberies and robberies at dispensaries and vending machines across the city.

The owners told a press conference that thieves must have insider knowledge of the cannabis industry because of the way thefts are conducted.

Ali Jamalian of Sunset Connect speaks during a press conference for Stiiizy at 518 Brannan St. in San Francisco. | Liz Lindqwister / The Standard

We are here today to ask the public to help us identify a group of armed and dangerous criminals who are terrorizing our businesses, making our staff and your community dangerous, said Ali Jamalian, head of Sunset Connect and the monitoring committee of the city ​​cannabis. These groups robbed cannabis operators throughout the Bay Area.

Now, cannabis leaders are calling on the city to increase police presence and responsiveness to dispensary robberies, warning that if the problem persists, it’s only a matter of time before someone gets hurt or kill.

READ MORE: Armed robbers stormed his crowded San Francisco cafe. Now he wants some action

Store manager Stiiizy SoMa was kidnapped in a robbery in February before suspects took some $30,000 in cash from the dispensary’s safe, police said.

Reese Benton, CEO of Posh Green, said his store was robbed in the early hours of March 21. Dubbed the Nordstrom of cannabis, the store has yet to reopen due to the burglary.

Posh Green CEO Reese Benton (left) speaks during a press conference in Stiiizy. | Liz Lindqwister / The Standard

My store was robbed, and we weren’t there, thank God, but it was heartbreaking, Benton said. [I] always dreamed of having a business in San Francisco when she was little. Now I have nothing to do and I have no protection.

Cannabis store owners said the city has not invested enough resources in protecting and supporting dispensaries, both to prevent potential thefts and to support them afterward. Benton says it will cost at least $40,000 to repair his building, not including the additional lost profit from stolen marijuana products.

A job inside

Dispensary owners and makers allege the series of thefts are linked, based on video footage shared between local cannabis businesses. Most of the robberies have occurred in the early hours of the morning, when few cops are patrolling and the streets are quiet.

It actually looks like it’s the same people because you see this huge guy, like, 300 pounds, the same body I saw and also the same tools, the same yellow crowbar, said Karim Mayfield, a former professional boxer and owner of Authentic 415 It appears to be the same car.

The peculiar pattern of the thefts has led some to believe that the thefts are committed by a group intimately familiar with the cannabis industry and its operations.

Members of San Francisco’s small cannabis business community pose for a photo during a press conference at Stiiizy SoMa. | Liz Lindqwister / The Standard

When we say inside work, we’re referring to inside work in the industry where whoever has those addresses, identifies how to get around those spaces, Jamalian said. In our space, it was very obvious that they had never been there, but they still knew what to look for in terms of like, Where’s the cage? It’s a trash can. It’s actually the product, right?

Police have reported an increase in burglaries at cannabis dispensaries. The Standard asked the SFPD to confirm the incidents but received no response.

Liz Lindqwister can be contacted at [email protected]

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