Man convicted of trying to smuggle 650 pounds of cocaine to Punta Gorda

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. A 34-year-old man was found guilty on charges he tried to smuggle 650 pounds of cocaine to Punta Gorda.

Angel Zayas Chico, of Puerto Rico, faces life in prison at a sentencing hearing Jan. 18, the state attorney’s office said.

His arrest stemmed from a U.S. Customs and Border Protection seizure in April 2016. Officers found a shipping container from the Dominican Republic in the Port of Miami with hidden boxes containing the cocaine, according to the state attorney’s office.

The officers replaced the drugs with fake cocaine and a tracking device that allowed them to watch as Chico picked up the shipment, the state attorney’s office said.

The jury needed only 28 minutes to reach its verdict after a three-day trial. Chico was convicted on charges of conspiracy to traffic cocaine (150 kilograms or more) and attempted trafficking in cocaine (150 kilograms or more).