KINGMAN, Ariz. – The defendant’s indecision and use of an interpreter in a near 100-pound methamphetamine case stretched an Oct. 14 hearing well beyond one hour at the Mohave County Law and Justice Center in Kingman. Diliwar Singh ultimately settled for a plea agreement after first informing the court that he wanted to take his case to trial.
Superior Court Judge Megan McCoy was selecting a Dec. trial date when Singh, 29, flipped the script to accept the plea offer tendered by deputy county attorney Carlos Lopez.
Authorities have reported that the Fontana, California resident was the driver of a Jeep Cherokee pulled over in Golden Valley for traffic violations committed on Aug. 3. Some 47 packages totaling 97.27-pounds of meth were found in a suitcase within the vehicle.
Singh’s girlfriend Samantha Perez, 28, San Bernardino, California was a passenger in the Jeep. She admitted she was to be paid $5,000 for her involvement in delivering the drugs to a Kingman grocery store.
Perez pleaded guilty last month and will be sentenced to 7.5 years in prison on Nov. 2.
Addressing Judge McCoy through an interpreter translating to the Punjabi language predominantly spoken in India and Pakistan, Singh admitted he was driving, but emphasized the drugs did not belong to him.
“I did not know that the car had drugs in it,” Singh said. “My sole job was to deliver the car.”
Singh also took issue with Lopez saying he was to be paid $5,000 to $10,000 for the transport, indicating he was expecting only $1,000 of compensation.
Judge McCoy told Singh that it would be up to a jury to decide his guilt or innocence if he opted for trial. She explained that he would face a 10- to 52.5-year prison term if convicted at trial, while the plea agreement mandates a 10-year prison term, of which he must serve 85%.
With great hesitation and some reluctance, Singh pleaded guilty to transportation of dangerous drugs for sale. McCoy scheduled sentencing for Nov. 4.
