Leaders in the city’s cannabis sector say retailers are increasingly suffering from smash-and-grab style break-ins, resulting in tens of thousands in stolen goods, damages and increased costs to consumers.
The issue was highlighted this week after police arrested two teens accused of targeting a pair of businesses in northeast Winnipeg.
“It is concerning how frequently these things are happening,” said Dawn Le Sage, inventory manager at Star Buds Cannabis. “It’s a massive loss.”
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Dawn Le Sage, inventory manager at Star Buds Cannabis Co., said it’s concerning how frequently the thefts are happening.
Star Buds, which operates three stores in Winnipeg, has had its Rothesay Street location broken into seven times in the last 18 months. The latest crime occurred Monday when thieves arrived at the store around 12:20 a.m., Le Sage said.
The suspects shattered a storefront window, stealing roughly $1,100 worth of nicotine vapes, rolling papers and other goods. They were not able to access the store’s supply of cannabis, which was locked in a vault, Le Sage said.
The thieves spent just under nine minutes inside the building and caused $4,000 in damages before fleeing, she added.
Police arrested two teenage suspects later that day, connecting them to the break-in at Star Bud and at another business on the 1100 block of Henderson Highway, the Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release.
Officers arrived at the second business — which the Free Press has confirmed was The Joint Cannabis Shop — around 2:45 a.m. and saw a suspect fleeing the area. They arrested a youth after a short foot chase, police said.
Investigators determined the youths stole about $3,000 in merchandise and caused about $10,200 in damage by shattering windows and a glass display cabinet.
A second suspect was arrested on the 700 block of Edison Avenue at about 7 a.m.
The youths, ages 16 and 15, face two counts of breaking and entering and theft over $5,000. The older teen is also charged with possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000 and two counts of failing to comply with conditions of a release order.
Both were released on undertakings.
Le Sage said staff at the Rothesay location recognized at least one of the suspects from their security footage. The teen is frequently seen hanging around outside the store and is believed to be involved in previous break-ins.
“Thankfully, they were not able to get into our more valuable products … (but) it’s extremely frustrating from a retail standpoint,” Le Sage said.
“If one (business) gets hit, that affects a lot of things when it comes to the other two locations. From stock-wise to breaking down the budget … there is so much more that happens in the back end we have to deal with that I don’t think people realize.”
The inventory manager said she is concerned about the frequency of cannabis store burglaries.
Earlier this month, the Star Buds location on Pembina Highway lost $12,000 in goods and damages in another incident.
Le Sage said cannabis retailers throughout the city are dealing with similar issues.
“Since we’ve had stores open that are dealing with cannabis products there have definitely been a number of reported occurrences of break-ins,” WPS spokesperson Claude Chancy said.
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Dawn Le Sage said Star Buds is exploring ways to increase security measures at its stores, but there are some barriers.
“It’s not uncommon.”
Such robberies typically cause damage to properties, with thieves hastily shattering windows and collecting large amounts of goods as quickly as possible. In the case of cannabis retailers, the stolen products are often used for personal consumption or resold to others illegally, Chancy said.
“It’s something that’s very detrimental for (owners) to carry on business in a profitable manner.”
Steven Stairs, founder of the Cannabis Business Association of Manitoba and a longtime pot advocate, said break-ins are a “huge problem and pervasive throughout the industry” in Winnipeg.
Stairs noted that, in addition to the lost goods and damages associated with thefts, cannabis retailers also pay high amounts in insurance fees.
Le Sage said Star Buds is exploring ways to increase security measures at its stores, but there are some barriers.
“We are all monitored and regulated under (the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba), so a lot of what we are allowed to do for safety measures have to be greenlit,” she said.
Under the authority’s current regulations, cannabis retailers must have commercial grade locks installed on all external doors; have a functioning alarm and surveillance system at all times and store cannabis behind locked doors.
Some cannabis can be left on display in locked cases, but those products can’t be sold.
Star Buds no longer keeps any products on display overnight, in an effort to dissuade would-be thieves, Le Sage said.
The Free Press reached out to the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority, asking whether it was monitoring the rate of thefts at cannabis retailers in Winnipeg and if it might consider reviewing or strengthening security regulations.
A spokesperson for the Crown corporation said it is reviewing the request for comment and will respond Wednesday.
tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca
Tyler Searle
Reporter
Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press‘s city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic’s creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler.
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