CAMARILLO : $4,750 in Cigarettes Stolen From Store

Ventura County sheriff’s deputies are looking for a man who stole $4,750 worth of cigarettes from a Camarillo liquor store early Sunday.

The man, said by authorities to be in his 30s, drove away in an orange, 1970s Chevrolet Corvette, Sgt. Keith Lazz said.

Lazz said the suspect threw a chunk of asphalt through the liquor store’s glass doors about 2:45 a.m., snagged 300 cartons of cigarettes and fled in his car.

A witness near Cork and Bottle Liquors, 1904 E. Ventura Blvd., saw a man fleeing the store with a bag, apparently full of the cigarettes, authorities said. A deputy patrolling the neighborhood discovered the burglary after seeing shards of glass strewn in front of the store.

The increasing cost of cigarettes have made them a profitable black market commodity, Lazz said.

“They’re a big item because they’re very easy to sell,” he said. “Check out the prices. The costs of cigarettes are up to $3 and $4 a pack for some. They sell them anyplace you find people smoking.”