CBP seizes $99,000 in marijuana at Los Indios bridge

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a Channelview, Texas man for trying to cross an international bridge with more than 99 pounds of marijuana, according to an agency release.

Jose Alberto Florencio, 22, was arrested Sunday afternoon at Los Indios International Bridge and later charged with possession with intent to distribute of 99 pounds of marijuana, according to the criminal complaint.

On Monday morning, Florencio, went before U.S. Magistrate Judge Felix Recio, who ordered he be held without bond pending a detention hearing on Aug. 27 and remanded him to the custody of the U.S. Marshal Service.

The arrest took place when Florencio drove a gray 1999 Dodge Durango to one of the bridge’s inspection booths and was referred to a secondary inspection area, CBP said.

Kuvar, a drug sniffing dog, alerted officers to the presence of narcotics and an imaging system indicated anomalies to the vehicle’s walls, the release stated.

Inside the hidden compartments, officers discovered 60 packages containing more than 99 pounds of marijuana with a street value of more than $99,000, CBP said.