Genero Zuniga gets 30 years in prison for marijuana dispensary burglaries

A man linked to a criminal group that stole cars and used them to rob more than 40 Denver-area marijuana dispensaries was sentenced Monday to 30 years in prison, Denver prosecutors said.

Genero Zuniga, 21, reached a deal and pleaded guilty this week to three counts, including one count of violating Colorado’s Organized Crimes Act, one count of second-degree burglary and one count of theft , according to court records.

Zuniga was arrested in December and charged with five armed robberies, 21 burglaries and 11 attempted burglaries, most of them at marijuana dispensaries, according to the Denver District Attorney’s Office.

The plea agreement removed 84 additional charges in Zuniga’s case, including multiple counts of burglary, attempted burglary, theft, criminal mischief, grand larceny, menacing, kidnapping and motor vehicle theft, according to court records.

Zuniga was one of 23 people from two organized crime groups who were arrested for stealing cars and using them to rob marijuana dispensaries, federal firearms licensees and other businesses between September 2022 and November 2023, according to Denver prosecutors.

The two groups allegedly burglarized more than 40 marijuana dispensaries and stole nearly $800,000 in cash and property, the district attorney’s office said.

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Originally published: January 6, 2025 at 2:56 p.m. MST