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Francisco Torres-Felix, 44, entered his plea Monday before U.S. District Judge Ronald Whyte, of San Jose.

Francisco Torres-Felix, 44, entered his plea Monday before U.S. District Judge Ronald Whyte, of San Jose. He's scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 3.He pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and possessing with intent to distribute 15 kilograms of cocaine; carrying and possessing a firearm in relation to these crimes; being an illegal immigrant in possession of two firearms — a .25-caliber semi-automatic pistol and a .38-caliber semi-automatic pistol; and illegal re-entry following deportation. Torres-Felix had been indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2007, and a superseding indictment was filed in April. He pleaded guilty just as jury selection was to begin for his trial.The maximum penalty on the drug charges is life in prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, and a fine of up to $400,000; having a firearm in relation to drug trafficking adds another 5 years to that minimum as well as an additional fine of up to $250,000. Firearm possession by an illegal immigrant is punishable by up to 10 years and $250,000, while illegal re-entry is punishable by up to two years and $250,000; Torres-Felix also is subject to deportation after serving his sentence.Torres-Felix is the second of two defendants to plead guilty after a joint investigation between the Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with help from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Alonso Rodriguez-Castellanos pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. He hasn't been sentenced yet.The DEA had gotten a tip that Rodriguez-Castellanos was negotiating a big cocaine deal, arranging for Torres-Felix to deliver the drug at a parking lot in Hayward. Federal agents arrested them there with the cocaine, finding one handgun in Torres-Felix's vehicle and another later at his home. Prosecutors at the time estimated the cocaine's street value at about $1 million.
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