“Crushing” break-in leaves Sacramento import business on brink of closing

By STEVE LARGE

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    SACRAMENTO (KOVR) — A beloved Sacramento import business is on the brink of closing after a break-in and theft of $100,000 in merchandise.

The bold break-in was caught on camera. The suspect entered the store and made a b-line for some of the Zanzibar Trading Company’s most precious pieces.

Scott Farrell is co-owner of the company and is now considering closure.

“These are antiquities, some of which are a thousand years old,” Farrell said. “It’s just, it’s crushing.”

Farrell showed pictures of some of the pieces the thief stole — antique Russian Orthodox medallions, coins, and jewelry.

Farrell believes the thief had cased his store and knew exactly what he wanted.

“He’s an absolute expert,” Farrell said. “Clearly, he’s done this many, many times. He came prepared, the hoodie, the gloves.”

This import company sells items from 126 different countries. Its location on Broadway is close to other retailers that have blamed crime for closing down.

Farrell calls his case targeted, not related to the location.

“So if the professionals are out there, which we believe this person is a professional, they’ll target you,” Farrell said.

Jeff Wakamiya is a regular customer who went in after hearing about the heist and threats of closure.

“This place is special to me for a lot of reasons,” Wakamiya said. “That would be really sad.”

The owners say if holiday sales are not good this year—they will likely be forced to close.

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