Portland agencies say they will pursue cannabis thieves ‘aggressively hard’

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office and Portland police are cracking down on thieves that are targeting cannabis businesses in the greater Portland area.

Authorities say criminals drive into the storefronts then steal sometimes tens of thousands of dollars worth of products. Police refer to the reoccurring crime as a “smash-and-grab.”

Officials say they are committed to holding these criminals accountable.

One Portland business says they have been hit multiple times at two of its locations.

The business doesn’t want to be identified, but both of their locations had to close for nine months after they were hit, resulting in 15 people losing their jobs.

The owner was out tens of thousands of dollars to repair damage and replace the stolen products.

“I, for one, will not stand for this,” said DA Nathan Vazquez. “My office is ramping up and thinking of all the ways we can prosecute these individuals.”

Vasquez says there are hundreds of cannabis businesses in Portland that contribute millions of dollars in tax revenue each year to the economy.

Despite his office taking a cut in this last budget cycle, Vasquez says he remains committed to providing protection to the cannabis industry, partnering with Portland police to investigate 25 burglaries that have taken place since early 2025.

“One business lost hundreds of thousands of dollars of product in one burglary,” Portland Police Detective Michael Stevens said.

“We are going to come at you aggressively hard,” Vazquez added.

But will their efforts be enough?

Jesse Bontecou, the executive director of the Cannabis Industry Alliance of Oregon, notes that without access to banks and title insurance, dispensaries are inherently prone to theft.

“Due to our status as a schedule 1 narcotic, normal banking services are not available to us, so we have to deal with a lot more cash,” Bontecou said.

Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley’s “Safe Banking Act” would have made banking services available to cannabis businesses in states where cannabis is legal, but it failed in the Senate.

Vazquez says many of the stolen products from dispensaries end up on Facebook Marketplace or other online sites. He is encouraging the community not to purchase from those sites and to shop locally at those shops instead.