Miranda pleads guilty to cocaine possession

Canadian Carlos Miguel Miranda pleaded guilty to charges that he had 97 pounds of cocaine in a hidden compartment in his pickup truck while traveling through northwestern Montana on Oct. 29.

He will be sentenced Dec. 17.

Miranda, 23 of Calgary, Alberta was pulled over when an alert Montana Highway Patrol officer who pulled over a pick up truck driver missing mud flaps on his vehicle, uncovered more than 88 pounds of cocaine in a hidden compartment of the car on June 4.

Miranda was arrested on scene and charged with felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs with intent to distribute.

He initially pleaded not guilty to the charges.

If convicted Miranda would have faced up to 20 years in state prison, James Lapotka, Lake County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney said.

Attorneys on both side of Miranda’s case, however agreed to recommend a three-year prison sentence Oct. 29.

Miranda has been in custody at Lake County Detention Center in Polson with a $1 million bond since his arrest.

The incident began during the evening of June 4 when Miranda, who was traveling in a 2006 GMC Sierra was pulled over.

The officer on scene noticed an abnormality in the pick-up truck’s bed and requested a K-9 unit respond to the location near St. Ignatius.

The 40 kilograms of cocaine uncovered was seized by the Department of Homeland Security. Street value of the drugs is nearly $1.5 million.