Former major league pitcher Esteban Loaiza, who broke into the majors with the Pirates from 1995-98, pled guilty Friday in federal court to possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, a charge that carries a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison.
Loaiza, 46, was arrested after he had been under surveillance in February, the Associated Press reported, and he was taken into custody outside a home in Imperial Beach, Calif., which sits just across the border from Loaiza's hometown of Tijuana, Mexico. A police canine detected drugs in the vehicle and Loaiza was found to be in possession of approximately 20 kilograms of cocaine.
Loaiza pitched for eight MLB teams during a 14-season career. He posted a 27-28 record in 87 starts for the Pirates before being traded to the Texas Rangers during the 1998 season for Warren Morris and Todd Van Poppel.
The right-hander had the best years of his career with the Chicago White Sox. He led the American League with 207 strikeouts in 2003, and he was the AL's All-Star Game starter and the runner-up in Cy Young Award voting that season after going 21-9 with a 2.90 ERA. He was an All-Star again in 2004, but he was traded shortly afterward to the New York Yankees, where he struggled and never fully regained his White Sox form before eventually retiring in 2008 after an injury-plagued return to Chicago.
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