Whatcom County marijuana shop burglaries show distinct pattern; suspects remain at large
Police suspect the same group of burglars is responsible for stealing from three different cannabis dispensaries in Whatcom County over the last few weeks. The most recent burglary led to a high-speed chase across four counties before the pursuit was terminated in King County.
The burglars have been described by police as group of five to six people who have used the same method to steal from each dispensary, smashing a stolen car through the front door in the night before running into the store and taking merchandise, mostly in the form of flavored vape cartridges.
Around 2:30 a.m. Jan. 3, thieves used a stolen 2017 Hyundai Tucson to break into Between The Ferns Cannabis Company in Deming. They then used another stolen Hyundai — a 2018 Elantra — as an escape vehicle, according to Amy Cloud with the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office. Security video obtained by law enforcement shows the burglary as it happened.
The Bellingham Police confirmed with the vehicle’s owner that it was stolen from a driveway, according to Lt. Claudia Murphy.
Murphy said both vehicles were stolen from the same area, the 100 block of Ashley Avenue.
Whatcom County law enforcement knew the vehicle was heading south on Highway 9 from Deming and alerted the Sedro-Woolley Police Department to be on the lookout, Sedro-Woolley Chief Dan McIlraith told The Bellingham Herald.
Sedro-Woolley police attempted to put down a spike strip to stop the vehicle, but the suspects arrived before that was possible so police attempted to stop them by turning on the lights and pulling them over around 3:06 a.m. However, the suspects drove off recklessly and at high speeds.
The chase continued to Interstate 5, where the suspects drove south until they were out of Sedro-Woolley jurisdiction and in Snohomish County, at which point the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office continued the pursuit.
The chase in Snohomish began at 3:44 a.m., with the suspects driving recklessly at speeds reaching over 100 mph southbound on I-5. The suspects drove through the entire county southbound in about 13 minutes, with deputies calling off the pursuit when the vehicle left their jurisdiction and headed into King County.
The King County Sheriff’s Office did not continue the pursuit once the suspects they left Snohomish County, according to spokesperson Brandyn Hull, who provided no explanation for the decision.
The other burglaries occurred Dec. 24 at Dank of America and Dec. 28 at Birch Bay Budz. Both incidents involved using a stolen vehicle to back through the front doors before taking merchandise from the stores.
Birch Bay Budz owner Eric Chan told The Herald the thieves took more thn $35,000 worth of product, mostly in flavored vape cartridges, and did $27,000 in damage to the building. The thieves used a stolen Kia to break down the door before escaping in another stolen vehicle.
“It definitely wasn’t my favorite thing, but we will survive,” Chan said of the incident.
At Dank of America, the group used a stolen 2013 Hyundai Elantra to break down the doors before four suspects wearing hoodies, gloves and masks entered and stole more than $5,000 worth of product, again mostly taking the flavored vape cartridges. The burglars also did about $15,000 to $20,000 worth of damage, store manager Michael Patrick told The Herald. The suspects were in the store for less than two minutes and knew exactly where to go, leading him to believe they had scouted the location before the burglary.
“It’s really disheartening when you put all your energy into starting a new business and then someone just comes through and does $20,000 worth of damage,” Patrick said. “It’s really sad that we just have to fortify our business to even do business anymore. That is one thing I would recommend to any other cannabis shop out there, make sure that no car can make it to your front door right now, because it will happen.”
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office has asked cannabis shop owners to “be especially watchful overnight,” as no suspects have been publicly identified or apprehended.
This story was originally published January 13, 2025 at 11:15 AM.
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