NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A local business owner in Middle Tennessee has had enough after six of his seven vape and smoke shops have been repeatedly targeted by criminals, resulting in thousands of dollars in losses and damage.
Alex Mustafa, who moved to Nashville over 20 years ago to start his businesses, is the proud owner of seven smoke and vape shops in the area. However, his success has been overshadowed by a wave of break-ins over the past few months.
“I hope they get to the bottom of this, because it's really getting out of control,” Mustafa said.
According to Mustafa, his stores have been hit six times in the last three months alone. The financial impact has been devastating, not just due to stolen merchandise but also the extensive damage caused during the break-ins.
“For this location alone, the glass and frames cost $5,500, the roll-up door is $14,000 to $16,000, and the wall repairs are around $2,200. We also had to install poles to prevent cars from ramming the storefront, each costing around $400,” Mustafa said.
Surveillance footage from two of Mustafa’s shops—one on Nolensville Road and another on Gallatin Pike North—captures the suspects ramming vehicles into the stores to gain access and then grabbing merchandise by the bagful.
“At this location, they brought two vehicles—one to drive through the store and another to load up the inventory before taking off. They even left the damaged vehicle behind for someone else to pick up,” Mustafa said.
Despite filing police reports for each incident, Mustafa feels his businesses are not a priority for the police, as he has received little to no updates on the investigations. However, there has been a small breakthrough: last week, police made an arrest.
“It’s good news that they got one of them, but there’s at least four or five more out there. The last time it happened, five people were involved—three or four guys and one girl. They caught one guy,” Mustafa said.
Nineteen-year-old Thomas Membreno-Rodriquez was arrested and charged with several counts, including the burglary of Mustafa’s store, VapeZone. Membreno-Rodriquez admitted to being involved in five burglaries and one attempted burglary, all of which involved using a car to ram into the storefronts.
The ongoing break-ins have also led to further complications for Mustafa, as his insurance company has now refused to renew his policy, deeming him high-risk due to the string of crimes.
Frustrated and concerned for his livelihood, Mustafa is calling on the city to allocate more resources and officers to keep these criminals off the streets and protect local businesses like his.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at (kelsey.gibbs@newschannel5.com).
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