‘It was organized’: Manager says $100,000 in product stolen from Independence dispensary

An Independence dispensary manager is still in shock after learning about a Saturday morning break-in at his new business in which thieves allegedly stole $100,000 of product in just five minutes, the manager said.

A group of three people were involved in the robbery of the business located at 12500 E Hwy 40 around 1:30 that morning, said manager Reed Smith of Herb Depot.

Smith said he woke up later that morning and saw a notification on his phone of movement in the six-week-old shop overnight.

Two men, he said, attempted to break in through the back door but were unsuccessful, leaving behind a busted up door frame. One other person sat in the car waiting to drive off. The front door and windows were then smashed in, but no other damage was done inside the store. According to Smith, the safe full of product was open at the time of the break-in.

“I swear like it was organized.,” he said. “Most likely someone’s been coming in to (check) my place out. I don’t know, it just felt too perfect.”

The whole incident was over in under five minutes, according to Smith. He intends upgrade his security system to contact authorities automatically the next time there is movement overnight.

Independence police did not immediately respond to The Star’s request for comment.

This story was originally published October 20, 2024 at 4:00 PM.