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Deputies investigating weekend break-ins at Cedar Springs cannabis dispensaries

cedar springs cannabis break ins
meds cafe.jpg
Michiganja cedar springs.jpg
Posted at 12:18 PM, Jul 05, 2022
and last updated 2022-07-05 17:53:10-04

CEDAR SPRINGS, Mich. — Kent County deputies are investigating after they say two Cedar Springs marijuana dispensaries were broken into over the weekend.

The Kent County Sheriff’s Office says the break-ins happened just after midnight on Saturday in Cedar Springs.

According to the sheriff’s office, the first break-in happened at a Meds Café dispensary on White Creek Avenue.

Deputies responded to an activated burglary alarm and found a door had been broken.

Staff at Meds Café tell FOX 17 that the break-in suspects were not able to access any products or take any items. They say the security precautions they had put in place worked and they did not have to close the business at any point due to the break-in.

While investigating the break-in at Meds Cafe, the sheriff’s office says deputies working in the area knew of another dispensary just down the street, Michiganja, and went to go check it out.

When deputies arrived at the second dispensary, they saw someone run away from the business, get into a car and take off at a high rate of speed without turning on the vehicle’s lights.

The sheriff’s office says deputies chased after the car until it went out of sight.

“They were pretty tenacious about trying to get in,” Vice president of Michiganja, Jacqueline Lucas, told FOX 17 Tuesday afternoon.

“They were literally throwing their entire bodies into it... I think they had a rock or something like that."

Lucas says the group got away with about 2 pounds of flower, and a bag of THC suckers.

"Really the monetary amount didn't come up to much, it was really property damage more than anything,” she explained.

While they were able to access a small amount of product, the significant security measures required of dispensaries in Michigan likely helped minimize their haul.

“We have a 3rd party monitoring system that’s 24/7, and it's really aggressive.”

Lucas elaborated, “we have cameras covering every single surface of this entire building, including the outside... our doors are double locked here.”

In the wake of the break in, she says they are going to add an additional security gate just past their front doors to increase security even further.

The suspects and vehicle appear to be related to both break-ins, deputies say.

Anyone with information about the break-ins should contact the Kent County Sheriff’s Office at (616) 632-6125 or call Silent Observer at (616) 774-2345 to report information safely and anonymously.

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