POSTED: Monday, April 4, 2011 - 6:04pm
UPDATED: Monday, July 25, 2011 - 9:14am
SOCORRO - Luis Varela, indicted on drug charges, has plead guilty. He was arrested in November for trying to sell more than 40 pounds of marijuana to undercover sheriff's deputies and for having 28 grams of cocaine. But he won't be going to jail.
Court documents show Varela could've faced life in prison for delivery of marijuana and possession of cocaine. Instead, it's costing him 10 years of probation time and 500 hours of community service.
He won't be allowed to buy alcohol in Texas, he has to check in to a probation officer once a month, and he has a curfew of 10 p.m. He also has to pay about $1,800 in court fees and fines for both offenses. He can't own a gun and he has to take drug education classes.
We asked the district attorney's office to elaborate on the plea deal but they only said, "The facts and circumstances of the case and his eligibility for probation were all considerations in the state's plea agreement."
The city of Socorro says while it doesn't comment on the private matters of its leaders, "Socorro does generally support all of our district courts and any decision handed down. We also hope those decisions help make our community a better place to live."
We tried reaching Varela and his attorney, but neither returned our calls. We also called the Sheriff's office for comment but have yet to hear back.