Known ‘Loco 13’ gang member pleads guilty in conspiracy case

Meth sold to pay lawyer for murder defense

A man who sold meth to a government informant in an attempt to raise money for his pending capital murder trial entered a guilty plea Monday, records show.

Armando Adrian Arebalo agreed to plead guilty for his role in a drug deal involving a confidential informant for the government.

The 33-year-old U.S. citizen and San Juan resident agreed to plead guilty to one count of distribution of a controlled substance related to his arrest in December 2018, the criminal complaint against the man stated.

On Dec. 6, 2018, Arebalo allegedly sold roughly 865 grams of methamphetamine to an informant working for the FBI.

During the meeting between Arebalo and the confidential informant, he allegedly told the man he needed money for an attorney to represent him in a pending state capital murder charge related to a June 2017 incident in which he and at least five others allegedly shot and killed 41-year-old Nicholas Anthony Bazan in an attempt to steal his money and meth.

He also told the informant that if he didn’t secure enough money for his defense, he would flee to avoid the pending murder charge.

“Arebalo is a known ‘Loco 13’ gang member who had been released on bond for state capital murder charges at the time of the narcotics sale,” the document stated. “Arebalo stated to the (confidential informant) that if he did not get enough money to pay for his lawyer, then he would flee in order to avoid his pending charge.”

Arebalo’s murder trial is set for August, records show.

He faces multiple years in federal prison for his role in the alleged sale of meth to the informant.


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