Man arrested on smuggling charges

U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrested a Matamoros man after he attempted to drive a pickup carrying 113 pounds of marijuana through the Los Indios International Bridge, an agency release said.

The arrest took place on the early hours of Sunday when 24-year-old Leonardo Quintanilla Rosales drove a tan colored 2006 Chevrolet Cheyenne pickup to an inspection booth and was referred to a secondary inspection area, CBP said.

At the inspection area, a K-9 unit confirmed the presence of drugs after the field operations officers noticed discrepancies to the bed of the truck, officials said.

Further investigation by officers revealed a secret compartment containing 27 bundles of marijuana weighing more than 113 pounds and with a street value of $113,000, CBP said.

Quintanilla was turned over to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement who investigated the seizure and charged him with possession with intent to distribute 51.15 kilograms of marijuana, court documents said.