Marijuana businesses robbed, burglarized across metro Seattle area

BELLEVUE -- Armed robbers terrified a pair of employees inside a Bellevue marijuana processing business. One of the suspects was a worker who clocked out of his shift there 10 minutes before the robbery.

It happened at the Origin Cannabis Company in mid-April, and it was caught on surveillance cameras.

The good news is that nobody was injured during the robbery and investigators said they’ve arrested their suspects. Detectives believe the holdup was an inside job.

“That is very violent, very terrifying,” said Maj. Patrick Spak with the Bellevue Police Department. “They don’t know what is going to happen.”



Police said two robbers terrorized the women and stole their cellphones so they couldn’t call police.

“There was some planning involved but I’d have to say it probably wasn’t planned very smart,” said Spak.

Surveillance video shows one suspect keeping the women occupied while the other nabs nearly $10,000 worth of weed.

Detectives said the ringleader is no stranger to the women.

“The primary robber, Mr. Pollard, was an employee of that business for a short amount of time,” Spak said.

Court documents allege Pollard clocked out of his shift 10 minutes before the armed robbery.

Security is also a priority at the Nimbin Pot Shop in White Center.

The shattered front window shows the most recent burglary attempt. Cameras caught a man using a hammer to pound the glass, but he flees when the alarm sounds.

“It’s my neighborhood, it’s a community,” said customer Michael Landry. “It’s a place where I go and shop. I’m offended.”

The suspect is still at large but his picture is now posted at the front door of Nimbin for everyone to see.

“We have a pretty ironclad security system,” said Nimbin owner Jas Sangha. “Obviously they tried to break in three different times.”

All I-502 marijuana growers, processors and retailers are required to follow strict security measures, including using high-quality surveillance cameras.

Bellevue detectives credit good police work and the high-quality cameras that helped them lock up their suspects.

“The quality of the video was instrumental in helping the police department solve this case,” said Spak.

Crooks are not only after legal marijuana, Seattle police detectives are investigating a $100,000 heist at a medical marijuana facility on 22nd Avenue South.

Investigators said a pair of burglars tore through walls to gain access and then cut power to the building. Detectives believe the suspects stole an employee’s vehicle during their escape.

Seattle police said the crooks got away with bags filled of processed marijuana concentrates.

If you have information in that case, call detectives at 206-386-1855