Four men are now facing charges after an armed theft at an Oakland smoke shop on Jan. 14, according to court records and police accounts. Authorities say the bust may have clipped the wings of a roaming crew that investigators believe is behind a string of smash-and-grab cigarette thefts in cities across the East Bay.
The arrests land at a time when small retailers in Oakland and neighboring towns are dealing with increasingly brazen takeovers and cigarette grabs. Many have responded by installing gates, bollards and beefed-up security systems. As reported by ABC7, some shopkeepers say the losses are so steep that stocking tobacco products barely makes financial sense anymore.
How Police Say The Cigarette Crew Operated
Court filings reviewed by investigators describe a busy night for the alleged crew. Plain-clothes officers reportedly watched the group walk out of an Oakland smoke shop, then allegedly steal an Acura from a nearby victim before heading to a gas station, where police say they committed an armed robbery. Uniformed officers moved in at the station and arrested four men.
Authorities identified the arrested suspects as two residents of Vallejo, one man from Pittsburg and another from San Leandro. Investigators say this same crew appears tied to robberies in Walnut Creek, Antioch and other East Bay locations. Prosecutors and police point to a Nov. 20, 2025, incident in Oakland, when thieves swiped a cigarette carton that had been secretly outfitted with a GPS tracker, and to another job in Pittsburg that same month, where suspects allegedly rammed an Acura through a storefront and made off with an estimated $60,000 to $100,000 in merchandise…