Brownsville Police Briefs: CBP seizes $406,000 in cocaine, two arrested

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a man and a woman from Matamoros after they tried to drive a car with more than $400,000 in cocaine hidden inside, officials said.

Jesus Antonio Orozco, 22, and Gabriela Nazareth Montalvo, 18, were arrested Monday afternoon at B&M International Bridge, said A CBP press release.

On Tuesday morning, Orozco and Montalvo went before U.S. Magistrate Judge Felix Recio, who ordered they be held without bond and remanded them to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

The arrests took place after a white 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix driven by Orozco was sent to a secondary inspection area, records show.

CBP officers noted discrepancies on the walls of the vehicle and five packages containing 13 pounds of cocaine were hidden inside, the release said.

The cocaine has a street value of more than $406,000, CBP said.

Man charged for sexual abuse of two minors

Brownsville police arrested a 24-year-old man accused of abusing two young girls.

Joseph Gabriel Garcia, 24, was arrested Monday morning at his house on the city’s West Side near Military Highway, records show.

Garcia was charged with one count of indecency with a child by sexual contact and one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child.

On Tuesday morning, Garcia appeared before a municipal judge who set his bond at $150,000 and ordered he be sent to Carrizalez-Rucker Detention Center.

The case began on Sept. 29, when a Child Protective Services investigator contacted Brownsville police detectives in regard to an anonymous call they received about child abuse, said police spokesman Jimmy Manrrique.

According to police reports, an 8-year-old girl reported that Garcia and another man had fondled her and her 6-year-old cousin.

During police questioning, Garcia admitted to improperly touching both girls numerous times, records show.

Police were still investigating the second man in the case, Manrrique said.

Man charged with aggravated robbery

Brownsville police have charged a 20-year-old man accused of attempting to rob an arcade with a pellet gun last month, causing the arcade’s security guard to shoot at the would-be robbers.

Hernan Gomez, 29,was charged Monday afternoon with one count of aggravated robbery and one count of aggravated assault of a security officer.

Gomez remains under guard at Valley Regional Medical Center-Brownsville where he is recuperating from two gunshot wounds, which he suffered during the attempted robbery, said police spokesman Jimmy Manrrique.

"Gomez faced complications from his injuries that caused him to stay (hospitalized) for an extended amount of time," Manrrique said.

Gomez was arrested on Sept. 21 after he and a 15-year-old male tried to rob the Cherry 777 arcade on 620 Paredes Line Road, police said. The two stormed the place with pellet guns causing the arcade’s security guard to fire his .40-caliber gun, hitting both would be robbers, police said.

The 15-year-old was released from Valley Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville soon after and was charged in juvenile court.

Gomez was visited Monday evening by Municipal Judge Ben Neece who set his bond at $50,000 and ordered he remain under guard at the hospital.