A Farrell man pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal charge of conspiring to bring cocaine to the Shenango Valley.

Alex Martin's plea to conspiracy to commit possession of cocaine with intent to distribute is the third to be filed in the case. Ramon T. Wright, formerly of Farrell, Sharon and Slippery Rock, and Roger Williams of Moreno, Calif., pleaded guilty last year and are serving prison terms.

Martin pleaded before U.S. District Court Judge Peter C. Economus, Youngstown, who set sentencing for 9:30 a.m. March 31.

A plea deal has been in the works for months and a presentencing investigation has already been started.

The case evolved from a traffic stop April 10 in Kansas.

Williams, 36, was a passenger in a sport-utility vehicle stopped by state troopers, according to the federal Drug Enforcement Agency.

A search of the SUV turned up nearly 10 kilograms -- about 21è pounds -- of cocaine. Williams said he had come from California and was taking the cocaine to Farrell for Martin, the DEA said.

Williams agreed to proceed to the Youngstown area, where he was to contact Martin, 40, about how to dispose of the SUV. He was accompanied by four investigators.

Arriving in Youngstown, Williams called Martin, who was in California, and Martin told him to park the SUV in Martin's garage at 809 Lee.

At the direction of investigators, Williams called back later and said he had hit a deer, disabling the SUV. The story was only half a lie as the SUV had hit a deer in Missouri, causing some damage.

Martin contacted Wright, who was in Boardman, Ohio, and asked him to arrange for a tow truck to pick up the SUV, and then led it to Martin's garage.

Wright was arrested in Boardman, when he arrived at the motel where Williams had said he was staying.

Wright also cooperated with investigators, and the SUV was towed to Farrell. Martin's home was searched three days later.

Martin, who has an Ohio driver's license under the name Terry Hunter, was arrested April 13 as he got off an airplane at Cleveland-Hopkins Airport.

Wright pleaded guilty Sept. 25 to charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and distribution of cocaine, and was sentenced Dec. 10 to 95 months in prison, fined $3,000 and a $100 special assessment, and ordered to serve 4 years' supervised release, the federal equivalent of probation, after his release from prison.

Williams pleaded guilty Sept. 11 to conspiracy to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and distribution of cocaine and was sentenced Dec. 6 to 105 months in prison, 5 years' supervised release, a $3,000 fine and $100 special assessment.