Trio Swipes $450 In Pot From Brooklyn Smoke Shop: NYPD

EAST FLATBUSH, NY - A thieving trio robbed more than $420 in smokeable merchandise from a Brooklyn storefront late Tuesday, authorities said.

The robbery at 1025 Rutland Rd. took place just after 10 p.m. when a 28-year-old store employee was ambushed by three men who kicked in the shop’s door, dove behind the counter and swiped about $450 in marijuana, police said.

The men, described as all between the ages of 18 and 20, fled eastbound on Rutland Road after the caper, police said.

The store employee didn’t report any injuries as a result of the incident.

Unlicensed smoke shops are often the target of robberies as they tend to carry large amounts of cash and expensive product.

Smoke shop robberies aren’t rare either since the state legalized recreational cannabis in March 2021, as THE CITY first reported. 593 smoke-shop robberies were reported in 2022 up from 137 in 2021, with nearly one robbery for every two smoke shops, according to the outlet.

Brooklyn takes the top slot for the most smoke shops with 428; 373 are in Manhattan, with another 226 in Queens, 204 in The Bronx and 90 on Staten Island, for a total of 1,321.

About $1.5 million in cash was stolen during smoke shop robberies in 2022, with about $2,500 per robbery not counting merchandise, THE CITY reported.