UPDATE: Judge allows DEA recording in Beltran trial

The judge overseeing the trial of former Cathedral High School baseball coach Michael Beltran determined that the audio recording of the DEA sting in a Target parking lot will be admitted into evidence.

Beltran was arrested in December of 2012 and is accused of possession of cocaine. He resigned as coach at Cathedral High School shortly after his arrest.

The 65-year-old Beltran, who also coached at Del Valle, Horizon and Parkland, played baseball at UTEP and reached Triple-A as a pitcher in the minor leagues, before being inducted into the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame back in 2007.

Beltran was allegedly caught buying a small amount of cocaine in a DEA sting operation with a confidential informant in a parking lot at an East El Paso Target store in 2012. Two days earlier, that informant had helped in the arrest of seven others, some of them coaches and teachers, at his home for allegedly purchasing cocaine.

A DEA special agent testified that the confidential informant, who played softball with Beltran and the others, helped set up Beltran for the alleged cocaine purchase at the Target store.

Defense attorney Daniel Mena attacked the integrity of the confidential informant, pointing out he had pleaded guilty to burglary of three vehicles in the past.

Mena also tried to prevent the jury from hearing a DEA audiotape of Beltran’s arrest, saying it had been out of the agent’s control since 2012. After more testimony from another DEA agent, Judge Diane Navarrete allowed it to be admitted into evidence and the jury got to hear it, But mena insisted the jury hear all of it.

After hearing audio of Beltran’s arrest, following an alleged cocaine deal, agents can be heard talking about the arrest saying, “We got the coach!”

Another agent asks, “Does he know anybody else was arrested?”

“Yeah, i guess he knows because a lot of them are coaches,” the other agent answers.

Beltran sat quietly with his hands folded while the audiotape played to the jury.