Report: Former All-Star Pitcher Esteban Loaiza Expected To Plead Guilty In Felony Drug Case

Former MLB All-Star pitcher Esteban Loaiza is expected to change his plea from not guilty to guilty in a felony cocaine distribution case, per a report from ABC7 Chicago:

Loaiza, 46, has a “Change of Plea” hearing on the court’s docket at 1 p.m. CDT Friday. A change of plea is a guilty plea in “99% of cases,” said former federal prosecutor Gil Soffer, ABC7's legal analyst. It is referred to as a change of plea because the defendant originally pleaded not guilty.

Loaiza was arrested in San Diego back in February and charged with possession with intent to distribute after police reportedly found 44 pounds of cocaine inside a minivan parked in the garage of Loaiza’s townhome. It sounds like Loaiza may have been involved in international drug smuggling:

Federal investigators believe the property, which they found empty of furnishings, was being used as a transshipment point for cocaine. The day Loaiza was arrested, he had driven over the Mexican border, investigators said.

Loaiza would reportedly face a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence on the felony charge.