Man caught with almost 200 lbs of cocaine, fentanyl pleads guilty

A California man caught with nearly 200 pounds of cocaine and fentanyl during a traffic stop on Interstate 78 in Northampton County pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal drug trafficking charge that could carry a life sentence.

Miguel Gonzalez Segovia admitted to possession with intent to distribute drugs, according to Assistant Attorney General Kelly Lewis Fallenstein. He’ll face at least 10 years in prison and at most life when he is sentenced Jan. 15 by U.S. District Judge Joseph Leeson Jr. in Allentown.

Gonzalez Segovia, 33, of Mira Loma, had more than 152 pounds of cocaine and more than 39 pounds of fentanyl, a potent opiate, on Nov. 13 when state police pulled over his rented SUV in Williams Township, according to court records.

He claimed he was driving to Brooklyn to visit a cousin, but troopers found his answers suspicious and asked to search his vehicle, uncovering the drugs in suitcases, records say.

Police had stopped Gonzalez Segovia for tailgating and driving 3 mph over the speed limit. His guilty plea came after his attorney, Michael Diamondstein, unsuccessfully sought to have the evidence thrown out, arguing the stop was a pretext, with Gonzalez Segovia targeted because he is Hispanic.

Leeson rejected that claim in August, finding police acted appropriately.

According to the plea agreement, Gonzalez Segovia told investigators that he had driven drugs across the country on three prior occasions last year using the same route. He delivered the drugs to locations in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland, the agreement said.

Morning Call reporter Riley Yates can be reached at 610-2535751 or riley.yates@mcall.com.