Coordinated Vape Shop Burglary Spree Hits Metro Denver, Small Businesses Left Picking Up the Pieces
A string of coordinated overnight burglaries across the Denver metro has left several small vape shop owners reeling — including Pyre Vape and Glass in Centennial, which was hit just two months after opening. Surveillance video from the July 17 break-in shows thieves ramming a stolen vehicle through the storefront around 1:50 a.m. and rushing in to grab armfuls of flavored vapes and nicotine products using laundry baskets. The burglars were in and out within minutes, escaping in a second stolen vehicle parked out front.
Owner Matthew Mikulas, a cancer survivor and advocate for safe, compliant nicotine alternatives for adults, says the theft caused around $40,000 in damage. “We’re not Walmart. We don’t have a loss retention department,” he said. “We follow the rules, we check IDs — and this just undermines all of it.” At least four other vape shops in Denver, Englewood, Lakewood, and Aurora were hit the same night using nearly identical tactics.
Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office suspects the same group of young thieves, possibly teenagers, may be behind all the break-ins and say at least one was seen with a pistol-mounted flashlight. Investigators believe the stolen products are being resold on social media platforms like Facebook Marketplace using anonymous accounts and coded language.
Despite the setback, Mikulas is determined to rebuild and reopen. “You don’t give up on your business,” he said. “We’ve already reordered, we’re making repairs, and we’re improving our security. We’ll be back.”
Anyone with tips is encouraged to contact the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office or Crime Stoppers.
