Thousands of dollars worth of cigarettes stolen

OCALA - A gas station was burglarized Tuesday morning and the thief or thieves stole cash and thousands of dollars worth of cigarettes, according to an Ocala Police Department report.

Shortly after 3 a.m., officers were dispatched to the Raceway gas station at 3708 S.W. College Road. They said an unknown object was used to smash the entrance door on the west side of the building.

The suspect or suspects took two drawers from cash registers, along with 50 cartons of Newport, 30 cartons of Winston menthol, two cartons of Marlboro menthol and 30 cartons of Kool cigarettes. Officials estimate the value of the cigarettes at $3,712.96.

This was the second burglary in the last few days in the surrounding area. On Saturday, a thief or thieves broke into seven vehicles parked at the Residence Inn hotel, 3610 S.W. 38th Ave., and stole credit cards, clothing, loose change and other items.

Anyone with any information about any of these cases can call the OPD at 369-7000 or Crime Stoppers at 368-STOP, or log on to ocalacrimestoppers.com.

- Austin L. Miller