SASKATOON — Samir Samnani is one of the small business owners trying to make a living, helping about 25 individuals find employment and contributing to the local economies where his shops are located. However, he is concerned about the safety of his employees and his business due to recent criminal incidents at vape stores.
Samnani owns more than 10 vape stores across the province in the cities of Martensville, Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Regina, Saskatoon and Warman, with the latter location being among targets of four separate break-and-enter incidents and one armed robbery that occurred from Oct. 30 to Dec. 30, 2025. The armed robbery in Warman happened on Dec. 13, involving a white 2019 Toyota RAV4. Martensville experienced four break-and-enter incidents.
The Warman and Martensville RCMP received the reports, with the Saskatchewan RCMP’s Central District General Investigation Section investigating the crimes, which occurred late in the evening or early in the morning. The investigation has determined that each incident involved two or three suspects wearing all-black or dark clothing, with their faces covered. RCMP are trying to determine if there are connections between the incidents in Martensville and Warman.
Samnani’s shop, which has been in operation for two years, was one of the Warman locations targeted. He believes the crime took place between 2 and 3 a.m. The robbers got inside by smashing through drywall and breaking the glass of display cabinets to steal various vape products. He said the incident cost more than $10,000 in products, while another vandalized store lost up to $2,000 in merchandise.
“This has become a common crime and incident. It has happened too many times, not only in Saskatoon, but also in one of our shops in PA, where a person tried to rob us using bear spray. I’m concerned with the safety of my shop and the status of my business,” said Samnani.
However, not all incidents have ended in losses. Samnani said they were able to foil an attempted robbery at one of their Saskatoon shops after learning about the plan and alerting police, who arrested the suspects.
As a precaution, the business has increased security by installing protective covers on exterior glass windows and display shelves inside the stores. Samnani has also instructed staff, for their safety, to hand over products if confronted by armed robbers.
Button alerts have also been installed to notify police of crimes in progress, although in one incident, authorities arrived late.
Other vape shops have also upgraded their security, including one near downtown Saskatoon that installed additional locks, steel bars in front of the doors, a steel rear door and CCTV cameras.
“In one of our shops in Saskatoon, our staff tried to protect the store, and that employee was attacked by the robber using bear spray. They look like 19-year-olds, and younger. They are teenagers and are already committing crimes,” shared Samnani.
“That’s why we told our staff just to give the products because these robbers might carry other weapons. Something needs to be done with these incidents. How can we attract more businesses if this always happens? We are locally owned, and we employ locals, too.”
