RICHMOND, Va. — A wave of burglaries is hitting Richmond vape shops that were shut down as part of a city enforcement operation — and some shop owners believe the crackdown may be fueling the very crime it was designed to prevent.
Since December, 67 businesses have been inspected through Operation Vaporize. In many cases, those shops were cited with safety violations in addition to lacking business licenses or certificates of occupancy.
Data compiled from Richmond Police and the Department of Planning and Review shows there have been 19 vape store break-ins so far in 2026 — compared to just 20 for the entirety of 2025. Of those break-ins this year, 16 involved 12 vape stores that were shut down by Operation Vaporize, with the majority of those break-ins happening in the past two weeks…