Newport Cigarette Bandits Sought By Deputies

LAND O’ LAKES, FL — The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office is on the hunt for two men involved in two Monday cigarette heists in the Land O’ Lakes and Wesley Chapel areas.

According to the agency, the first robbery by sudden snatching occurred July 10 at the 23390 State Road 54 RaceTrac. Deputies say one of the store’s clerks placed three cartons of Newport cigarettes on the counter. When the clerk looked down, a man, estimated to be between 18 and 25 years of age, swiped the smokes. The man then took off on foot running east from the store.

About 20 minutes later, deputies received a similar report from the Walgreens at 28115 Wesley Chapel Blvd. At that store, two men between the age of 18 and 25 walked inside. One of the men pushed a clerk and grabbed four cartons of Newport shorts, an email from the agency said. The man who snatched the cigarettes dropped one of the cartons while running away, the agency noted.

The two men reportedly took off from the scene in a white box truck van. Video, surveillance photos and detailed descriptions of the suspects are not yet available.

Anyone with information about the suspects, however, can call the sheriff’s office tips line at 800-706-2488.

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