By The Seattle Medium
Investigations are now on for arm robberies of local cannabis shops. There have been multiple armed robberies at cannabis shops in 1 week alone. Police say the crimes have many similarities which leads them to believe they may be connected.
These types of criminal activities have set pressure upon lawmakers to better protect Washington’s cannabis shops. Some experts say that the SAFE Banking Act would help take cash out of the equation for legal cannabis businesses.
According to police, around 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 28, three cars pulled up to the front of Zip’s Cannabis in the 2600 block of Pacific Avenue, then one crashed through the front doors. The other suspects then ran into the store and began a snatch and grab of merchandise into their bags.
There was also gun play as the suspects exchanged fire with a security guard outside. Police think one of the suspects was shot. The security guard was not injured. There have been four armed robberies of cannabis shops in Pierce County in just one week, according to police.
A similar robbery to the ones in Pierce County recently occurred at Green Lady Marijuana in Olympia. The local Olympia Police said around 3:30 a.m., a vehicle drove into the Green Lady cannabis shop in West Olympia. Several suspects immediately got out of the car and stole merch from the store.
Many in the business world familiar with the requirements to own a shop know that cannabis shops already have some of the highest security in the region. Federal drug laws prohibit national banks from getting involved with cannabis stores. As a result, most legal cannabis businesses are cash only, which makes them targets for crime.
