Last modified: Thursday, November 15, 2007 1:07 AM EST Crash victim a drug suspect BY DAVID LINTON SUN CHRONICLE STAFF FOXBORO - The man killed in a car crash while attempting to flee from state police last week was wanted on cocaine-trafficking charges stemming from his arrest in Mansfield in 2003. George L. Soriano, 28, also known as Jorge Soriano, was wanted on a bench warrant issued by New Bedford Superior Court when he failed to show for trial on Feb. 9, 2005, according to the Bristol County District Attorney's Office. The charges stem from an undercover investigation in which Mansfield police found almost 200 grams of cocaine in a secret compartment in the 1996 Ford Taurus he was driving. He was arrested in April 2003 at gunpoint outside his onetime residence at Mansfield Depot apartments on Francis Avenue when he tried to drive away from plainclothes detectives. When questioned, Soriano, a native of the Dominican Republic who was deported and re-entered the United States illegally, denied his identity, according to court records. The car was seized by Mansfield police. Authorities have filed court documents seeking the forfeiture of the vehicle. Soriano, whose most recent address was in Boston, was killed Friday in a chase with state police that ended when he lost control of his 1998 Ford Taurus and crashed into a tree on Oak Street. His lawyer could not be reached for comment Tuesday or Wednesday. A message could not be left on either day because the voice mail box was full. Before Friday's chase began, Soriano was traveling south on I-95 about 80 mph in Sharon when a state trooper initially signalled him to slow down. However, state police said, Trooper Kevin Collins then attempted to pull Soriano over when he continued speeding down the highway, state police said. Soriano got off I-95 at Mechanic Street in Foxboro and turned left onto Oak Street before losing control and crashing into a tree at a curve near Lamson Road, police said. Soriano threw an object out of the car in the area of 65 Oak St. where police said they recovered a small-caliber handgun in some bushes. State police also say they found a "fair amount" of cash and an undisclosed quantity of cocaine in Soriano's 1998 Ford Taurus. A state police spokesman on Wednesday said the crash remains under investigation and could not provide any more details. However, state police said Collins followed all state police guidelines regarding high-speed chases, such as radioing his position and having the barracks notify local police of the pursuit.