TUCSON – An Amado man, Constantino Varela, was sentenced to 72 months’ imprisonment in federal court after pleading guilty on August 1, 2018 to two counts of Unlawful Possession of an Unregistered Destructive Device, and one count of Possession of Firearms by a Convicted Felon.
Varela, age 46, suspected vandals were breaking into a building on the property where he lived. As a result, he built and planted an explosive device in the structure.
According to the Department of Justice, the explosive device, containing metal balls and nails as added fragmentation, was connected to a pressure-activated switch mounted on the floor close to the building’s entrance. On September 17, 2017, an associate of Varela entered the building and stepped on the pressure-activated switch. The device exploded and sprayed the victim with shrapnel.
A further search of the property uncovered three additional explosive devices.