Teens Accused In Pot Dispensary Burglary Ring Face Numerous Felonies
BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - After months of investigation, deputies in Boulder County have arrested five teenagers suspected of operating a marijuana dispensary burglary ring.
The teens, males between the ages of 14 and 17, are accused of targeting two businesses: The Growing Kitchen off Baseline Road, and Native Roots on Sunset Street in unincorporated Boulder County, according to the sheriff's office.
Between May and October, the teens stole nearly 50 pounds of marijuana worth up to $82,000, took $2,000 worth of glassware and caused $13,000 worth of property damage.
Because they are juveniles their names are not being released. They now face more than a dozen charges.
"Numerous felonies and some of them are high-level felonies," said Cmdr. Steve Cullen. "So it's pretty serious."
Investigators did not recover the stolen marijuana. They think the teens sold, traded and used it all.
"They were taking what they could get their hands on. Sometimes they would just do damage, so it wasn't real sophisticated," said Cullen.
At Native Roots, a spokeswoman says employees found property damage, but no items were taken from them during any of the incidents.
In a statement, the company said:
"From bank quality vaults where product is locked to cameras, 24-hour monitoring systems and motion-triggered lighting, the systems and procedures we use are very secure and preventative."
A stolen car and stolen gun left behind near one of the burglaries helped detectives track down the teens. Investigators say they identified the five people they think are responsible through phone communications and social media messages found on the suspects' mobile devices.
The five are suspected in at least five more similar burglaries across Northern Colorado. They were given bonds between $1,500 and $50,000.
Lauren DiSpirito reports for CBS4 News at 10 p.m. She covers breaking news and feature stories along Colorado's Front Range. Follow her on Twitter @CBS4Lauren. Share your story ideas with her here.
