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Dispensary owner speaks out after Commerce City store was broken into

Rita Tsalyuk's store, Stadium Gardens Dispensary, was hit twice.

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — Commerce City police are investigating at least four cases of people breaking into or trying to break into marijuana dispensaries this month

Rita Tsalyuk's store, Stadium Gardens Dispensary, was hit twice.

"This is our baby that we built,” she said. “I feel violated.”

The first time was on May 2, when the burglars were unable to breach the doors. The second time was on Thursday just before 3 a.m. Police said they used a Kia with no plates to smash through the front of the building, causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage. That was in addition to the products they stole once they were inside.

RELATED: Kia used as battering ram to break into Commerce City business

“Every time something happens, we do more security measures,” Tsalyuk said. “But when you do more security measures and put in more expensive doors, those more expensive doors get damaged too.”

The front of Stadium Gardens is now covered in plywood after Thursday’s break-in.

“I think the worst thing was watching it on camera because you could see how careless they were,” Tsalyuk said. “Just seconds after they got on our property, they damage the whole door.”

Tsalyuk said the alarm didn’t stop them and neither did the steel door inside. Days later, the damage is still visible. 

“You see this missing,” she said, gesturing to an empty space in the display case. “This was taken. See the holes right there with our product. That was taken.”

Tsalyuk said most of the product was stolen from the backroom, which also has a broken door now.

“It's four of them and they're just going back and forth stealing,” Tsalyuk said as she replayed the surveillance video from Thursday. “I’m just afraid that the whole world is kind of losing it.”

It’s not just the four cases in Commerce City. Police across the metro area are also reporting similar crimes at other dispensaries. Aurora Police said they're investigating two break-ins that happened Thursday at businesses in a strip on East Sixth Avenue.

Police are still trying to figure out if any of these cases are related.

“I don’t see it getting better,” Tsalyuk said. “That’s what worries me. It’s getting worse. I only hope that our voices will be heard."

RELATED: Marijuana dispensary bouncing back after break-ins

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