A traffic stop by Brownsville police led to the arrest of a 39-year-old Brownsville man accused of possessing cocaine and marijuana with the intent to distribute the drugs, federal court documents reflect.
According to a June 28 federal criminal complaint, a vehicle driven by Christian Omar Reyes-Cano had a defective license plate light on Chevrolet Equinox.
The officers said Reyes-Cano appeared nervous and they asked him if they could search the vehicle, the federal criminal complaint states. The officers didn’t find any illegal drugs in their initial search and brought in a drug detecting canine to conduct a further search.
The canine indicated a “positive alert” for the presence of drugs near the driver-side rear quarter panel, the federal criminal complaint states. The officers were able to see bundles of concealed drugs within the rear quarter panels on both side of the vehicle.
The vehicle was taken to the Gateway International Bridge in Brownsville where U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers assisted in removal the bundles from the vehicle, the federal criminal complaint reads. The 15 bundles were recovered and one of them tested positive for cocaine.
Reyes-Cano provided his home address to Brownsville police, and Brownsville police contacted the Drug Enforcement Administration for assistance.
When the federal agents arrived at the residence, they met with Reyes-Cano’s wife who provided consent to search the home. According to the federal criminal complaint, the agents found 11.38 kilograms of cocaine in a backpack in the master bedroom closet and 34.88 kilograms of marijuana in the living room air vent. Two handguns were also found in a kitchen drawer, according to authorities.
During a post-arrest interview, Reyes-Cano told the agents that he had just picked up the SUV because he was going to fix it, the federal criminal complaint reads. When he was told drugs were found inside the vehicle, Reyes-Cano told the agents he was going to drop the drugs at his house as was going to be paid $1,000, the document states.
Reyes-Cano also told the agents that cocaine, marijuana, and handguns found at his home belonged to him, according to authorities.
Reyes-Cano appeared Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Ronald G. Morgan who ordered he be held without bond. His next hearing is scheduled for July 18.
