CONTRACTOR PLEADS NO CONTEST IN DRUG CASE

For Eight Months, Michael Sierra Had Said He Was Innocent Of Cocaine Charges.

With no explanation for his sudden change of heart and no promises as to
what his punishment will be, a Goleta contractor pleaded no contest Monday
to buying 15 pounds of cocaine from an undercover officer in April.

An hour before jury selection was to begin for his Superior Court trial,
Michael Sierra admitted to all eight felony counts against him, which carry
a potential sentence of up to 13 years and four months in state prison.

The charges included possessing more than 4 kilograms of cocaine for sale,
conspiracy to sell cocaine, attempting to transport cocaine, possessing
over $100,000 cash with the intent to illegally purchase cocaine, and four
counts of being a felon in possession of guns. The 46-year-old was
convicted of felony possession of cocaine in 1985.

Sierra, who owns a sandblasting business, was arrested by Santa Barbara
police the evening of April 16 this year, immediately after he purchased 7
kilograms of cocaine - about 15 pounds - from an undercover officer at a
parking lot near East Beach, police said.

For nearly eight months, Sierra had pleaded innocent to the charges against
him. While being interviewed by a News-Press reporter in May, he claimed
"there were no drugs, period" and described himself as a church-going
family man. He is married and has four children.

Deputy District Attorney Gordon Auchincloss and defense attorney Steve
Balash could not comment on Sierra's sudden change of pleas because Judge
James Brown imposed a "gag order" preventing the lawyers from discussing
the case with news reporters until Sierra is sentenced.

"There is no agreement as to sentencing in this case," Auchincloss said in
court Monday. "The District Attorney's office has made no promises and the
judge has made no promises."

During the sting operation, Sierra told an undercover officer that he would
be interested in purchasing that same amount of cocaine (15 pounds) every
two to three weeks and that he was willing to pay $14,500 per kilogram,
according to testimony at his preliminary hearing in September.

A hidden microphone worn by the undercover officer recorded their
conversation and allowed other officers nearby to listen in as the cocaine
- - which had been borrowed from a Sheriff's Department evidence locker - was
purchased by Sierra with $101,500 cash he had brought with him in a black
duffel bag.

His arrest moments later struck at an international cocaine pipeline that
stretched from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara, then to northern San Luis
Obispo County and on to Canada and Norway, detectives said.

No information was available, however, on how much Sierra personally
profited from that drug trafficking network, how long it had been active or
how many other people were involved.

Under state law, Sierra almost certainly will be sentenced to prison
because of the amount of cocaine and cash involved in his illicit transaction.

Brown allowed Sierra to remain free on $250,000 bail until his sentencing
hearing, the date of which has not been set.

When authorities searched Sierra's home on Cinderella Lane in Goleta in
April, they found a 12-gauge shotgun and two Smith and Wesson .357-caliber
revolvers, police said. A fourth gun belonging to him, a .357 Magnum
handgun, was also found at an undisclosed location, police said.

State law prohibits anyone convicted of a felony from owning or possessing
any firearm.