Jury finds Florida truck drivers guilty of possession of 58 pounds of pot

MOUNT HOLLY ? Two Florida men were convicted in Superior Court on Friday of hauling 58 pounds of marijuana in their tractor-trailer as they traveled on the New Jersey Turnpike in Bordentown Township on their way to New York in 2010.

A jury of five women and seven men found Pedro Ramos, 45, of Miami, and Armando Rivero, 45, of Port Saint Lucie, guilty of possession of marijuana, possession with the intent to distribute, and conspiracy after a two-day trial before Judge Charles Delehey.

The men, who have been in the Burlington County Jail since their Aug. 10, 2010, arrest, face 10 to 20 years in prison when they are sentenced Jan. 24.

Ramos and Rivero, who came to the United States from Cuba and had the trial translated into Spanish by a team of two court-approved interpreters, maintained their innocence. Rivero shook his head as the verdicts were read and placed his hands over his face at one point. Ramos showed little reaction.

Both testified that they had no knowledge of the seven boxes of pot found in Rivero?s refrigerated trailer. The boxes were among thousands and were hidden in a haul of fruit and other items as the men traveled up the East Coast from Florida, authorities said.

The men said they never loaded or unloaded the contents of the trailer themselves during several stops. Rivero said he noticed the boxes at a stop in Philadelphia, but did not examine them or their contents.

Rivero?s attorney, Michael Farrell, said his client was ?simply duped unknowingly and used to ship this marijuana.? He said the defendant proved he had nothing to hide when he chose to drive on a flat tire on the turnpike, garnering the attention of the New Jersey State Police, and then consented to their search of his trailer.

?He had nothing to hide. ? This could happen to any trucker,? Farrell said, pointing out that Rivero has been consistent with his story since his arrest.

In his closing Friday, Burlington County Assistant Prosecutor Robert Perry said the defendants were not victims of some unknown drug dealer.

?They are not patsies or babes in the woods. They didn?t just happen to come across 58 pounds of marijuana valued at $263,000, and they are not innocent,? Perry said. ?They are transporters. That is their job.?

He urged the jury to question what ?big-time drug dealer? would place the valuable marijuana in a trailer unbeknownst to anyone, including the drivers, and ?roll the dice and say a prayer? that it would reach its intended destination.

?If they really are babes in the woods, how does Mr. X know where the truck is going?? Perry asked. ?They do have their stories straight, just not straight with common sense.?

The marijuana, packaged in large zipped plastic bags hidden in banana and UPS boxes, was ready for distribution, according to the state?s expert witness.

Officers found the boxes in the back of the trailer, away from the rest of the load the two were hauling, police said. The boxes were not listed on the truck?s inventory paperwork, according to testimony.

Rivero testified that he made about seven stops before making an unloading and reloading stop in Philadelphia, then heading to New Jersey on the last leg of the trip. He said that neither he nor Ramos did any of the loading and that he didn?t know of the illegal haul.

Ramos testified that it was his first time driving the vehicle and that he went along to get experience in long-distance trucking. He said he did not have keys to the truck, did not load it, and did not know there was marijuana in the boxes.

?You don?t have any evidence, not a shred, to prove that (Ramos) knew, possessed or had control with knowledge of what was in those boxes,? said his defense attorney, Phil Pagano.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50124132/ns/local_news-delaware_valley_pa_nj/

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