Police: Thieves take off with $40,000 in products and cash from Santa Rosa cannabis dispensary

Santa Rosa police are searching for a group of thieves believed responsible for a break-in at a Santa Rosa Avenue cannabis dispensary early Monday where more than $40,000 in products and cash were stolen.

Shortly before 3 a.m., a white Maserati, a white Honda Civic and a black Mercedes-Benz, carrying the suspected thieves, pulled up outside Doobie Nights at 3011 Santa Rosa Ave., police said.

Donald Monday, the dispensary’s manager, said security footage shows the group initially attempted to gain access by breaking through a window.

However, after they realized they’d actually hit insulation and wood, they then focused their efforts on the dispensary’s emergency side door, Monday added.

After gaining access, the thieves broke through as many as seven interior doors, damaging retail shelves and lighting, Monday said. They took an estimated $16,000 in cash, as well as cannabis products valued at as much as $30,000, he added.

Police were notified of an activated alarm and a burglary around 3:15 a.m. They found an “unknown tool was used to force open a door” on scene, according to Santa Rosa police Sgt. Ryan Cogbill.

According to security footage, there were up to seven people in the group, Monday said, adding that all of them wore hoodies and masks.

“I could barely sit in my office today — I felt like I was violated,” Monday said. “I kept thinking, ‘How did this happen?’ They don’t realize the lives they’re impacting and how this could make or break our business.”

Based on security footage, the group “knew what they were doing and it hadn’t been their first robbery,” Monday said.

He added that he wasn’t surprised by the break-in. A chain of robberies that occurred in December 2022 — on Dec. 1, Dec. 13 and Dec. 15 — prompted him to prepare for such an event at Doobie Nights, he said.

Monday and other Santa Rosa dispensary owners and managers joined in on a conference call Monday night to discuss ways of improving their security in order to prevent future thefts.

Doobie Nights was able to open to the public on Monday and by Tuesday had resumed its regular hours.

“I hope other business owners are paying attention,” Monday said. “We need to be vigilant.”

You can reach Staff Writer Mya Constantino at mya.constantino@pressdemocrat.com. @searchingformya on Twitter.