Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com

Published - Friday, May 09, 2008

A half-ton of not guilty: Defense says State failed to prove trucker knew what he was carrying

By DAN SPRINGER | La Crosse Tribune

A California truck driver is headed home after a La Crosse County jury decided Thursday he did not knowingly play a part in hauling a half-ton of marijuana into the area last November.

The jury deliberated almost four hours over two days before finding Marco Corzo, 54, of Palmdale, Calif., not guilty of possession of more than 10,000 grams of marijuana with intent to deliver.

Shortly after the verdict was read about 10:30 a.m., Corzo was released from the La Crosse County Jail, where he had been held since his arrest Nov. 20, 2007.

Corzo and Gurmit Singh, 38, also of Palmdale, Calif., were arrested at the West Salem weigh station after Wisconsin State Patrol inspectors discovered 44 individually wrapped packages of marijuana in 15 cardboard cartons in the trailer their semi truck was hauling.

While Corzo did not testify and the defense called no one to the stand, his attorney, Daniel Ryan, said Corzo had no idea what was in the trailer and that the state never proved he did.

Ryan, who during the trial laid blame on truck owner Singh, said he believed the jury reached the proper verdict.

“There’s an enormous sense of relief that (Corzo’s) ordeal is over. It’s very difficult for a person to go through a trial like this,” Ryan said Thursday afternoon. “It’s also a relief that the end result was a good one.”

Assistant District Attorney Brian Barton called the jury’s verdict disappointing, saying said he thought the state had a strong case against Corzo even if it was circumstantial evidence.

The men were hundreds of miles off their route from San Diego to the New York City area, had log books that were either empty or inaccurate and couldn’t explain why they were in the area — all signs of deceit, Barton said.

“In the end, I think the jury didn’t think that Mr. Corzo had the knowledge required as to what was (in the trailer),” Barton said. “It could also be they agreed with Mr. Ryan’s theory in the case that it was all the co-defendant, Gurmit Singh.”

Singh remains free on bond pending a trial scheduled in late July, Barton said.

Dan Springer can be reached at dspringer@lacrossetribune.com or (608) 791-8269.