ABQ drug deal gone awry ends in homicide

Apr. 15—Authorities say a Los Padillas gang member and two women plotted to rob a man during a drug deal in January, but ended up killing him at an apartment complex in Northeast Albuquerque.

Anjel Varela, 30, was robbed of $80 and a cannabis smoking device before being shot to death with a gun he had borrowed "for protection," according to court records.

Bobby "Littles" Lopez, 27, Brianna "Shorty" Garcia, 23, and Danielle "Foolish" Cordova, 31, are each charged with an open count of murder, robbery and conspiracy in the Jan. 28 death of Varela.

Authorities say Lopez is a documented member of Los Padillas, a South Valley gang with a generational history tying them to homicides, drug trafficking and other crimes.

Lopez is behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center; Garcia is in jail in Oklahoma; and a warrant has been issued for Cordova's arrest.

It is unclear if any of the three has an attorney.

Lopez is currently serving a five-year probation sentence after pleading guilty to trafficking methamphetamine following a 2021 arrest. Garcia is facing multiple charges related to shoplifting incidents around the time of Varela's death, in which she brandished or fired a gun in confrontations with employees.

An obituary for Varela said the father of two loved working on cars, had recently gotten into air brushing and had a pastime of creating art using Legos.

"My Dear Friend. Rest Easy Angel ... Imma Miss You ... Love You. Amor," a friend posted to Facebook beside a video of a smiling Varela flashing "deuces" with two fingers.

Police found Varela slumped over in the driver's seat of his Monte Carlo outside the Skyline Apartments at Louisiana and Mountain, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. Varela had been shot once and a bullet casing was found inside his shirt.

Varela's friend told police the pair had been selling drugs around the city with Garcia, and she had noticed a dark sedan following them. The friend said she gave Varela her 9mm "for protection" when he dropped her off and Garcia was acting suspicious.

Detectives went to Oklahoma to speak with Garcia after her arrest and she told them she, her girlfriend Cordova, and Lopez had planned to rob Varela. Garcia said she told Varela that Lopez was a relative who needed heroin and he was allowed into Varela's car.

She told police Lopez grabbed the 9mm off Varela's lap, and stole his cash, car keys and a cannabis smoking device, and got into Lopez's car. Garcia said she then heard a single gunshot and Lopez got into the vehicle, where Cordova was waiting, and the pair fled.

She told police Lopez later joked that he was the "golden trigger" due to it being "one shot, one kill." Police traced the trios' phones to the scene of the shooting and Garcia picked Lopez out of a photo lineup as the shooter.

She told police she had known Lopez "on and off" for years and was in fear for her life due to talking with detectives. When detectives spoke with Lopez at MDC, he "declined to speak without a lawyer present."