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An Etna Green man faces 20 to 50 years in prison after being convicted by a jury Wednesday in Kosciusko Circuit Court on a Class A felony charge of dealing cocaine.
Leonardo Guadian, 34, of 9462 Ind. 19N, and formerly of Warsaw, was found guilty after a two-day trial. The conviction also carries a fine up to $10,000. Kosciusko County Prosecutor Charles Waggoner said this is a "major conviction" and the arrests of Guadian and three other men broke a major drug distribution operation in the area. After the jury returned its verdict Judge Rex Reed revoked Guadian's bond and had him taken into custody to await sentencing.
Guadian was arrested during an area drug raid in May after trading 3.512 grams of cocaine to undercover police officers for a television Oct. 10, 1998, at an MD Acres residence at Nappanee. Because the amount of cocaine in the deal was more than 3 grams, the offense was elevated from a Class B felony to a Class A felony. Co-defendants in the case, Keith Koontz, Jason Clark and Carl Kuhns, have already been convicted for their participation in the crime and are serving their sentences, according to Kosciusko County Prosecutor Charles Waggoner.
Waggoner said the crux of the defense was that Guadian couldn't have been here dealing cocaine on Oct. 10, 1998, because he was in Chicago, Ill., on Oct. 9, 1998, paying his rent on a residence there. A car registered to Guadian that was at the scene of the drug exchange showed a Maye Street, Warsaw, address for Guadian.
Waggoner also said that it was never determined why Guadian wanted television sets for the cocaine. Guadian's attorneys were Jay Rigdon and Dana Leon.
The case, which was a cooperative effort between the Elkhart County, Multi-County and Kosciusko County drug task forces, began when a confidential police informant told authorities that he was aware of several individuals involved in the sale and distribution of cocaine in Elkhart and Kosciusko counties.
