Former All-Star Loaiza gets 3 years in prison for cocaine possession
Former All-Star pitcher Esteban Loaiza was sentenced Friday to three years in prison for cocaine possession, according to ESPN.
Loaiza pleaded guilty in August to possessing 44 lbs of cocaine with intent to distribute following a February 2018 arrest.
Prosecutors were seeking an approximately five-year sentence for Loaiza, while the former pitcher's attorney sought a prison term of 18-to-24 months for his client.
The 47-year-old was arrested last year after authorities, who had him under surveillance, found 20 packages of cocaine in a vehicle inside the garage of his house in Imperial Beach, Calif.
Loaiza, who was born in Mexico, will be deported after serving his sentence, according to his lawyer.
The two-time All-Star fashioned a 126-114 record with a 4.65 ERA while pitching for eight different teams during his 14-year career in the majors.
He finished second in American League Cy Young voting in 2003 while pitching for the Chicago White Sox.