According to the indictment, the Norte del Valle Cartel exported approximately 500 metric tons of cocaine worth over $10 billion from Colombia to the United States, often through Mexico, between 1990 and 2004.

In addition, in March 2004, a grand jury in the Eastern District of New York indicted Varela on Drug Trafficking Charges.

Together with Luis Alfonso Ocampo Fómeque 'El Tocayo' (The Namesake), half-brother of his partner Victor Patiño-Fomeque 'La Fiera', he carried out several murders, especially of 4 brothers of Pacho Herrera including 'El Inválido' in Guayaquil, Ecuador, as well as being his personal friend.

It is worth noting that due to his violent way of acting, he declared war on Diego León Montoya Sánchez 'Don Diego', because this opposed the way in which he began to expropriate the assets of his deceased enemies and in retaliation for the death of Miguelito, who was his friend, Varela formed his private army, which he called Los Rastrojos, as opposed to Los Machos de Montoya, provoking a war that left a large number of people dead, which caused the Valle del Cauca and the Coffee Zone to become unsafe and dangerous places to live.

Varela would later become obsessed with her until it was revealed that the drug lord had ordered his hitmen to shoot her in the spine because of a betrayal, but leaving her wounded in one of her legs.

In Venezuela, Varela had conflicts with Venezuelan authorities who demanded more money for his protection, and for his drug shipments as well as being a major threat to several druglords.

In early 2008, Varela Fajardo was found murdered with his main bodyguard Weimar Pérez 'Grasoso' (Fatty) in the Fresh Air cabins resort in the state of Mérida, in Venezuela.