Loaiza faces 30 years in cocaine case

SAN DIEGO — Former All-Star pitcher Esteban Loaiza pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to felony cocaine possession with intent to distribute.

In a plea deal, lawyers on both sides agreed to recommend a sentence of about 30 years when he is sentenced Nov. 2. He faced a range of 10 years to life in prison, according to the plea agreement.

Loaiza was arrested Feb. 9 in Imperial Beach, Calif., and charged in Superior Court with possession of more than 40 pounds of cocaine for sale.

On the day of Loaiza’s arrest, law enforcement officials were following a Mercedes Benz SUV, believed linked to smuggling, when it pulled into a townhome in Imperial Beach. The SUV left 10 minutes later, and a sheriff’s deputy pulled it over.

Loaiza, 46, was behind the wheel, authorities said.

Back at the townhome leased by the native of Tijuana, Mexico, officers found a minivan loaded with 20 packages of cocaine under the floor panels, the federal complaint said.

In the plea agreement, Loaiza admitted shifting the cocaine from the Mercedes to the minivan. Loaiza had crossed the border from Mexico earlier in the day, authorities said.

Loaiza pitched for nine majorleague teams, including the Yankees, Dodgers, White Sox and Pirates, until retiring in 2008. He was voted an All-Star in 2003 and 2004.

Loaiza became a celebrity in his native country after marrying the late Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera, who died in a plane crash in 2012. Rivera had filed for divorce shortly before her death, ending their two-year marriage.

Loaiza’s attorney, Janice Deaton, declined to speak with reporters after leaving the courthouse.