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Story by Felix Cortez• Friday
Two Bay Area men were arrested in connection to a break-in at a Greenfield cannabis cultivation facility and now police are investigating whether the pair may be connected to a string of cannabis burglaries stretching from the Central Coast to the Bay Area.
cannabis facility struck by thieves© Provided by KSBW Monterey-Salinas
“We're working around with all the other agencies Santa Cruz, Salinas, Oakland up and all over the bay area, different agencies, Stockton. And we're just trying to connect the pieces to see how they relate and connect in different ways,” said Justin Mattke, a sergeant with Greenfield police
Greenfield police are looking to see if the 12 men who tried to burglarize a cultivation site on the 1,000 block of Cherry Avenue are the same men who stole pounds of pot from a marijuana warehouse in Santa Cruz just days earlier.
“It's just putting the puzzle together, really trying to put all the pieces together and see where it leads,” said Mattke.
Investigators have a key piece of evidence they hope will help them connect the dots;
cellphones. The phones were taken from the two men who burglarized the Greenfield operation and the hope is they will lead to other suspects, possibly tied to other crimes.
After the Santa Cruz break-in police issued a warning to other cannabis businesses.
“Unfortunately, this isn't something that's just occurring in Santa Cruz, it's across all the bay area and the region, especially with the recent increase in marijuana dispensaries being allowed to sell marijuana,” said Jon Bush with Santa Cruz police.
Police now advising cannabis businesses to beef up their security, by possibly hiring more security, securing entrances, increasing outdoor lighting, making sure surveillance cameras are working, and maybe more training for security staff.
“Getting their security guards, a little more training on what to look out for, what to try to ID when these guys do roll in there,” said Mattke
