Arrests made in Santa Cruz marijuana store burglaries

California Attorney General Rob Bonta was in Santa Cruz County on Thursday to announce the arrests of 22 people charged with a total of 32 felonies in connection with multiple burglaries of marijuana dispensaries across the Bay Area.

The arrests, dubbed “Operation Sticky Fingers,” were made by the Oakland Police Department, the Department of Justice, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office and the California Highway Patrol, Bonta said.

During the operation, detectives identified crimes in Monterey, Solano, Kern, San Luis Opisbo, Fresno, Merced, Sonoma, San Diego and Santa Cruz counties.

The suspects stole 450 kilograms of cannabis and products such as THC gummies, worth more than $1 million, Bonta said.

The suspects then sold the products through social media, he said.

Of the 22 arrested, only one is still in custody and 14 have appeared in court, Bonta said.

The charges include theft, organized retail crime and burglary.

Most of the suspects are part of multiple criminal street gangs based in Oakland, said Oakland Deputy Police Chief Frederick Shavies.

The burglaries in that city took place from mid-2023 to July.

The message, Bonta said, is that anyone considering similar crimes can expect a response from police.

“We are coming for you,” he said. “We are fed up with organised retail crime and as a result we have cracked down hard and will continue to do so.

The operation involved 15 burglaries, half of which occurred in Santa Cruz County and most of which occurred late at night, he said.

An example of this is the May 25 burglary at The Hook pharmacy in Watsonville, where a group of suspects drove their vehicle into the store and stole hundreds of dollars worth of products. They then fled, leading police on a mile-long chase down Highway 17 into Hayward.

“As California’s chief law enforcement officer, I’m here to ensure that California remains the best place to live, work, do business and raise a family, and that includes tackling organized retail crime,” Bonta said.

According to him, the incidents were much more serious than just shoplifting.

“We are talking about coordinated schemes, organized efforts that are damaging our businesses and threatening our communities. Those organized criminal schemes deserve and require an organized law enforcement response,” Bonta said.