Police: Man offered cocaine to police officer

A Brownsville man who had just been in a car accident was arrested for allegedly offering cocaine to a uniformed police officer, officials said.

Jose de Jesus Cano, 29, was arrested Tuesday morning in the 1800 block of Alton Gloor Boulevard and later charged with driving while intoxicated, possession of a controlled substance (Xanax), possession of a controlled substance (cocaine) and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, said police spokesman Sgt. Jimmy Manrrique.

On Wednesday morning, Cano went before a municipal judge who set his bond at $35,000.

According to court records, Cano was released after posting bond.

The case began when police officers responded to a car accident at the corner of Alton Gloor Boulevard and Ridgeline where a blue Ford Ka struck a Gold Ford Explorer from behind, Manrrique said.

One officer approached a disoriented Cano, who was being held up by two paramedics while a third one attended him, he said.

"He had dilated eyes and had a strong smell of alcohol," Manrrique said. "He then asked the officer if he wanted to buy cocaine."

The paramedics told the officer that while attending Cano they had come across a small bag with pills which turned out to be Xanax, he said.

A subsequent search of Cano and his vehicle revealed a small bag with 2.4 grams of cocaine and a .45-caliber handgun, Manrrique said.

That morning, Cano was transported to Valley Regional Medical Center so he could be treated for an elevated heart rate before being taken to city jail, the spokesman said.

Brownsville police seize 17 pounds of marijuana

Brownsville police arrested three men accused of having a suitcase with 17 pounds of marijuana inside their vehicle, officials said

Pedro Enrique Barrera, 34, Jorge Martin Jimenez, 20, and Juan Jose Torres, 33, were arrested about 11 p.m. Tuesday at the intersection of International Boulevard and Frontage Road, said police spokesman Sgt. Jimmy Manrrique. They were later charged with possession of marijuana. Torres was also charged with evading arrest and resisting arrest, he added.

On Wednesday morning, the three men went before a municipal judge who set their bonds at $25,000 each for the marijuana charge and an additional $2,500 for Torres on the evading and another $2,500 on the resisting arrest charges.

All three men were released after posting bond, court records show.

The arrests took place when Brownsville police narcotics agents were conducting a drug interdiction operation at a bus station in the 1300 block of East Adams St. and spotted a suspicious man carrying a large bulky suitcase, Manrrique said.

The agents conducted surveillance and saw him talking on a cellphone and getting into a black Chevrolet Suburban, the spokesman said.

Police followed the SUV and tried to stop the vehicle near Expressway 77/83; the SUV pulled over near University Boulevard and Torres jumped out and ran into a nearby neighborhood, Manrrique said. The other two men stayed in the vehicle, he added.

Torres was arrested after a brief struggle with responding officers when he slipped in a puddle of mud, police said.