Reason behind Marijuana Shops in Colorado:
It would appear this is related to the jewel thief/narcotrafficker/murder solicitor/drug kingpin who made a deal earlier this year in Miami. He goes by the nickname "Tony Montana" and made a deal for cooperating with the feds. Here's an excerpt from the Miami Herald story, note a few things, such as his soliciting a murder for his partner in the medical marijuana business in Colorado.
Eight months after his arrest in a South Beach hotel, the jeweler who called himself “Tony Montana” pleaded guilty Tuesday to organizing the thefts of and later reselling millions of dollars worth of diamonds and other jewels.
Juan Guardarrama, 49, received a reduced prison sentence of 10 years in exchange for cooperating with authorities on other cases related to the criminal enterprise of stealing and fencing diamonds.
In the agreement, Guardarrama acknowledges his “willingness to cooperate in bringing to justice” others who have been involved in crimes including theft, racketeering, money-laundering and fencing of stolen properties.
The night of his arrest, Guardarrama thought he was buying more than a half-million dollars worth of stolen jewelry when he asked undercover cops whether they would “take out” a partner from his side business of growing medical marijuana in Colorado. He had earlier asked the cops if they would be interested in selling some of that marijuana in Miami.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/12/3231019/tony-montana-pleads-guilty-to.html
A copy of one of the warrants is on Scribd, notice on page 9 of Scribd (labeled page 3 on the documents, it's an attachment)
For the purpose of this warrant "Target Subjects" are identified as: Gerardo Uribe-Christancho, Luis F. Uribe, David Furtado, Juan Guardarrama, etc. (Juan Guardarrama being the real name of Tony Montana from above story)
Also, from the warrant: In the weapons section they ask for weapons, ammunition, and destructive devices which may be used to provide protection to the narcotics trafficking operation, it's members and/or assets. It seems clear they are calling this a narcotics trafficking organization. Also, they state they have probable cause to believe foreign currency will be there. That's suspect to me, your typical medical marijuana shop doesn't have a need for foreign currency.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/186174036/Search-warrant-for-Denver-marijuana-raids
From an article in the Miami Herald several months after the above article"
Still, according to the June 7 arrest form, Guardarrama told the undercover cops that he grows marijuana in two Colorado warehouses.
Apparently feeling at ease, Guardarrama showed the agents a live video feed of the marijuana grows from a Nanny Cam linked to his cellphone.
Then, he asked them “to travel to Colorado and pick up 20 pounds of marijuana a month to be distributed in Miami-Dade County,” according to the arrest form.
The undercover cops didn’t expect the negotiations about stolen diamonds to take this turn. Authorities say the solicitation to kill Guardarrama’s partner was another surprise.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/07/01/v-fullstory/2877893/tony-montana-bust-is-a-real-gem.html
Also, from both the Miami Herald articles and the warrant, the business partner Juan Guardarrama tried to have killed is Laszlo Bagi who set his dispensery on fire in 2012. I imagine for the insurance money and so he could hide some of the marijuana he was selling to other states.
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_20414564/denver-marijuana-shop-broken-into-roof-lit-fire
It appears he moved his criminal operation to Colorado:
About two years ago, as law enforcement closed in on more than a dozen thieves involved in the operation, Guardarrama skipped town. Jewelers at the Seybold building commented about his sudden absence.
He had moved to a luxury apartment in Denver with his girlfriend. According to authorities in Colorado, Guardarrama obtained a license to work in the state’s medical marijuana industry. However, he is not registered as an owner of such a business.
Oh, and here's your innocent little medical marijuana shop owner who is being bullied by Holder and Obama.
His first run-in with police was a disorderly intoxication arrest in 1990. A year later, he was arrested and later convicted after a road-rage incident on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach. According to court records, Guardarrama got out of his car and threatened the other driver with a semiautomatic pistol.
In 1994, he was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol. Three years later, he was arrested and convicted of assault, extortion and illegal bookmaking. Records show Guardarrama had threatened to kill a man who owed $13,500 in gambling debts outside a Mexican restaurant in Sweetwater.
Guardarrama worked with these groups of thieves who live in Colombia but travel to Miami and other U.S. cities to commit robberies, authorities say. He was one of a few fences who helped the thieves follow traveling diamond dealers who sell their wares in the Seybold building, according to the sworn testimony of convicted thieves.
“Sometimes a person who is in the jewelry business, Mr. Juan Guardarrama, called us to tip us about the victims,” Andrés Felipe Lema told authorities under oath. “We followed jewelry/diamond representatives around, waiting for them to stop at gas stations, hotels, restaurants, jeweler stores or pawn shops. At those places we attacked them.”
So there you have it. It appears the feds are going after serious criminals who will only harm the business. I'm disappointed to the point of being disgusted at those who were calling Holder a p.o.s and railing against Obama. Sorry, folks like Guardarrama need to be in jail and i'll give the benefit of the doubt to this administration until the details come in.