Man sentenced for fatal shooting over ‘botched drug deal’

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A judge sentenced a man Wednesday for shooting and killing someone over a described “botched drug deal” on the West Side last year.

Jorge Luevano will serve 20 years after pleading guilty in July to second-degree murder with a firearm enhancement. Luevano faced these charges for shooting and killing 18-year-old Adrian Porras in his car in June 2023.

Albuquerque police say social media evidence showed Porras was there to buy marijuana from Luevano. They also used the same evidence to tie Luevano to the scene. They also found that, at the time of the murder, he was wearing a GPS ankle monitor he had to wear after a previous shooting incident. They said that was his second strike with the courts at the time.

Two weeks after the murder, a judge ordered Luevano to remain in jail until his trial. Prosecutors successfully argued this alleged third strike was enough of a compelling argument.