DOVER, DE- Cosmic Smoke, a Dover smoke shop, was broken into once again on Friday, but this time, the thieves took an unexpected route to gain access.
Dover Police launched an investigation after receiving a call at 11:12 a.m. Friday about the burglary. The investigation revealed that around 4:42 a.m., three suspects entered a vacant business next to the shop and broke through the wall to access Cosmic Smoke.
According to owner Cameron Gilbert, the burglars stole about $3,000 worth of products before leaving the store. The suspects, described as wearing dark clothing, managed to avoid detection.
Gilbert explained that this was about the fifth time the shop had been burglarized, but this break-in was different from the others.
"My employee came in the next day and saw that the place was turned over."
Ryan Schmid, with the Dover Police Department, confirmed that the suspects climbed through the hole they made in the wall.
"These individuals wanted to get in, so they went through an adjoining business and then they end up crawling into the wall."
Gilbert, who has made several upgrades to secure the shop after past break-ins, said this latest theft was particularly difficult to prepare for.
"It’s different from the past because we couldn’t really plan for this one. After the numerous break-ins we’ve encountered before, we’ve made the necessary upgrades to fortify the store, and this one isn’t really something that we could have done anything about," he said.
Despite the setback, Gilbert remains determined to keep his business open.
"They can’t break us. This isn’t something that’s new at all. It’s not going to stop us from doing business."
Dover Police are still searching for the three suspects involved and are urging anyone with information to come forward.