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San Jose Police Consider Gang Connection In Pot Club Break-Ins

SAN JOSE (KCBS) - Authorities were trying to determine if a series of break-ins and robberies at San Jose pot clubs and growers' homes is the work of a local gang.

KCBS' Matt Bigler Reports:

Police described most of the incidents as "simple break-ins," though in one case the paralyzed owner of a marijuana dispensary on Saratoga Ave. was knocked out of his wheelchair and tied up by masked intruders.

"The suspects searched through the business and apparently made off with an undetermined amount of cash and marijuana," explained San Jose Police Department spokesman Jose Garcia.

Garcia said it was unclear from the initial investigation whether the crimes were the work of a single gang.

"The bottom line is we're investigating whether they are related to one another and whether they're being committed by the same individual or group of individuals."

The Santa Clara County Task Force, meanwhile, continued to investigate medical marijuana dispensaries that were operating illegally to make a profit. Some club operators admitted to being hesitant to report robberies for fear of, ultimately, being raided by law enforcement officials.

(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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