Feds: Middleman in drug deal pleads guilty to murder, drug charges

Justin Garcia, Las Cruces Sun-News
·3 min read

LAS CRUCES – A Las Cruces man faces decades in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges relating to a 2022 shooting.

Rudy Garcia, 35, pleaded guilty to a slew of charges in federal court on Feb 22, 2023, just over a year after police accused him of shooting Anthony Juarez, 27, at the Desert Garden Mobile Home Park in Las Cruces on Jan 25, 2022. Initially, Garcia was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in New Mexico courts. However, state prosecutors dropped the case on Jul 7, 2022, in favor of federal prosecution.

In federal court, Garcia pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, distribution of fentanyl, felon in possession of a firearm, using a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime, and using a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime resulting in death.

An affidavit by Las Cruces Police Department Detective Joseph Campa and an interview Campa conducted referenced in Garcia's confession paint a tale of a fentanyl deal ending in a shooting.

Garcia said Juarez and a 26-year-old woman (who was not charged in this case) wanted to buy 100 fentanyl-laced pills from a family member of Garcia's. Garcia said that Juarez offered to pay $500 for the pills. He added he would collect a "tax" of 10 pills he could sell later in exchange for setting up the deal.

However, Garcia also told Campa he did not want to be involved. He said Juarez had a reputation for turning drug deals into robberies. But he told Campa he set up the deal because he needed the money.

When Juarez arrived at a Las Cruces motel to pick up Garcia, Garcia said he brandished a shotgun. He told Campa he wanted Juarez to know he was armed so the deal could go smoothly. Campa wrote in the affidavit police believed Juarez was also armed with a pistol. However, the pistol was unloaded when police discovered the gun.

Garcia and Juarez then drove to the Desert Garden Mobile Home Park. They arrived at a home on Wolf Trail, exchanged the pills and money at a trailer, then returned to the car, according to an LCPD affidavit.

But as they returned to the car, Garcia said he believed Juarez tried to reach for his gun. A short time later, a neighbor's security camera captured Juarez fleeing in the vehicle and Garcia firing a shotgun in his direction. Juarez was hit once in the lower back and died after first responders took him to a hospital.

As part of the plea deal, federal prosecutors will not seek the death penalty. However, it's unclear how much prison time Garcia could face. Garcia's two drug-related charges come with mandatory minimums stipulating the charges must run consecutively. Those charges carry minimum mandatory sentences of 17 years total. The other three charges have a maximum combined sentence of 30 years.

A sentencing hearing has yet to be set as of the publication of this article.

Justin Garcia covers public safety and local government in Las Cruces. He can be reached via email at JEGarcia@lcsun-news.com, via phone or text at 575-541-5449, or on Twitter @Just516Garc.

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This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Feds: Middleman in drug deal pleads guilty to murder, drug charges