Hector Plama Salazar pleaded guilty to conspiring to smuggle 50 kilos of cocaine from Mexico to the United States with the intent to distribute the drugs.The crime carries a maximum life sentence and $4 million fine. Under the plea, Palma will pay just a $100 administrative court fee.Judge Larry Burns will recommend Palma gets credit for the five years he spent in prison in Mexico awaiting extradition. That plus the year Palma spent in prison here means he may have just 10 years left to serve on his 16 year sentence.Burns told the court the sentence meets the goal of protecting the public and deterring others from committing similar crimes.Burns will recommend Palma serve his time in the Western United States because a large part of Palma's family lives in Los Angeles.
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