Shadow Trade: True Crime in the Drug World

Chapter 3: “The Inside Job: When Dispensary Workers Turn Criminal”

Legal weed should’ve been the beginning of a new era—one where dispensaries could operate above board, free from the risks of black-market deals. But even in this regulated world, it turns out your biggest enemy might be standing right behind the counter.

In the cannabis industry, employee theft isn’t just an occasional problem—it’s rampant. Industry reports show that up to 90% of financial and product losses come from within. It’s not always dramatic, gun-waving robberies that make headlines. Sometimes, it’s the quietest workers who do the most damage, and that’s exactly what happened in these cases.

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The Smokin Gun Heist

In 2020, a Colorado dispensary known as Smokin Gun was hit with an inside job that nobody saw coming. One of their trusted budtenders had been texting two men, letting them know it was time to hit the store. Minutes later, the men entered with handguns drawn, demanding cash and products. The worker who texted them? He stood back, watching as his accomplices cleaned the place out.

By the time it was over, the dispensary had lost thousands in cannabis products and cash, all because of a trusted employee. It was a well-coordinated heist, and the employee walked away with his cut of the spoils. The dispensary? It was left reeling, facing months of recovery from a robbery they should’ve never seen coming from inside their own walls.

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The $75,000 Vault Heist

Another Colorado dispensary fell victim to a bolder but quieter inside job. In 2019, a budtender took advantage of an unlocked vault, walking out with $75,000 in cash. It was almost too easy. The vault door had been left wide open, along with the shop’s downstairs exit. No alarms, no witnesses—just an open path to an employee pocketing more money than most make in a year.

The employee was later caught, but not before wreaking havoc on the dispensary’s finances. This wasn’t a smash-and-grab job. It was pure negligence, with poor security practices allowing the theft to happen without anyone noticing until it was too late.

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POS System Manipulation

In 2021, another Colorado dispensary faced a high-tech theft. An assistant manager manipulated the store’s POS system (point of sale) to offer unauthorized discounts and pocket the difference. Over several months, she gamed the system, funneling both cash and product into her own pockets while the store’s owners remained unaware.

What tipped them off? A detailed review of sales data and POS records revealed discrepancies. By then, the damage had been done—thousands in losses, all thanks to an employee who was supposed to be running the show, not robbing it blind.

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The Industry’s Quiet Killer
While external robberies get the headlines, it’s the quiet, internal thefts that bleed the cannabis industry dry. Employees who feel underpaid, undervalued, or simply see an easy opportunity often take advantage of the cash-heavy, high-value nature of dispensaries. And in some cases, the robbery isn’t just about a quick score—it’s meticulously planned and executed with insider knowledge.

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How Dispensaries Are Fighting Back
In response, dispensaries are tightening up their operations. Biometric vaults, video surveillance, and POS system audits are now the norm, with some businesses even hiring armed security to protect their assets from both external and internal threats. But the problem persists—trust is a two-edged sword, and in an industry dealing in millions of dollars in product and cash, that trust is often misplaced.

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Inside jobs aren’t just isolated events in the cannabis industry. They’re a reflection of the Wild West mentality that still hangs over legal weed—an industry where even the employees behind the counter can’t always be trusted.

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