CLEARFIELD – Day two of the trial for two men accused of trucking drugs through Pennsylvania on Interstate 80 brought testimony from more law enforcement professionals.
One of those to take the stand was Trooper Alberto Diaz, a trooper stationed in Mountoursville.
Diaz said he spoke with one of the two defendants, Hugo Francisco Leal Flores of Mexico, on the telephone.
Flores is on trial with co-defendant Arnulfo Uresti of Brownsville, Texas, after the tractor-trailer Uresti was stopped on Interstate 80 in Bradford Township in October after a trooper spotted the truck. The trooper testified Monday that the license plate on the trailer was obscured and a strap was flapping behind the truck, both of which caused the trooper to initiate a traffic stop. Inside the rig, troopers found more than 60 pounds of cocaine.
Diaz said he was requested to interview Flores over the telephone twice.
On the first occasion, Flores told Diaz he was in the United States on vacation and wanted to see a recent snowfall in Illinois. Flores said his brother and sister-in-law owned the trucking company for which Uresti was driving.
Flores denied any knowledge of the estimated $3.5 million worth of drugs, saying that if any drugs were found in the truck it belonged to Uresti for his personal use.
About one hour later, Flores was interviewed again by Diaz.
In this interview, Diaz said Flores admitted to knowing that the cocaine was in the truck, but he said he didn’t know how much was in there or how it got there.
Diaz testified that Flores told him that he knew of arrangements made with “Chino” to put the drugs in the truck, and he was provided with a cellular phone that would directly connect to “Chino” when they arrived in New Jersey. Flores said he and Uresti were to go to a certain hotel and get a room. Flores was expecting a call from “Chino” the day after the truck was stopped on I-80.
Giovanni Campbell is representing Flores for the trial, and he asked what happened in the approximately one hour between Diaz’ first telephone interview with Flores and the second.
Diaz said he was not aware of what happened at the Clearfield barracks as he was conducting the interview from a remote location.
“You don’t know what they did to make him ‘come around,'” Campbell told Diaz.
Diaz said perhaps Flores’ story changed because he began to have concern for his family and what would happen if it was not delivered. He told Diaz that he was fearful that they would be in harm’s way if the delivery was not made.
Before breaking for lunch, Campbell provided his opening statements to the jury. Steve Jarrett, attorney for Uresti, opened at the start of the trial.
Campbell focused on the reasonable doubt upon which the jury must make its decision when delivering his remarks.
He noted that neither of the interviews were recorded with Diaz and that the only statements there were in which Flores admitted to knowing about the drugs came from Diaz.
The trial continues Tuesday afternoon with defense witnesses.
Although the trial could end sooner, it is scheduled to last through Wednesday.