A man charged in connection with the largest-ever federal raids on the Colorado medical-marijuana industry will get to stay out a little later after a judge on Thursday extended his curfew.
Gerardo Uribe owned VIP Cannabis, the medical-marijuana dispensary at the center of the raids. He, along with three others, has been charged with money laundering in connection with a cash transfer from Colombia that federal prosecutors say was to go toward buying a warehouse for marijuana cultivation.
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Uribe is currently out on bond awaiting trial. A trial date has not yet been set, though, and federal magistrate Judge Craig Shaffer on Thursday cited that as reason to extend Uribe’s curfew.
Uribe’s attorney, Sean McAllister, said in court Thursday that Uribe has been working with a real estate investment business and the job sometimes requires him to travel to Colorado Springs or elsewhere outside the metro area. McAllister said Uribe is worried he might not be able to get back to his house by his court-ordered 6 p.m. curfew if the meetings run long or traffic ties up.
Shaffer agreed to bump the curfew time back to 8:30 p.m.
“I don’t know why, while we all wait for this case to go to trial, Mr. Uribe should be prevented from conducting his business,” Shaffer said.
Uribe and his co-defendants could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. McAllister has previously said Uribe always followed state law.
John Ingold: 303-954-1068, jingold@denverpost.com or twitter.com/johningold
