A Brownsville man arrested for allegedly smuggling cocaine from Mexico into the United State said it was the first time he had smuggled drugs across the border, a federal criminal complaint reads.
Juan Trevino Naranjo, born in 1972, also told U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers that he was being paid to smuggle cocaine.
Trevino Naranjo appeared Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ignacio Torteya III, who ordered he be held without bond.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 23.
According to the federal criminal complaint, Trevino Naranjo was attempting to cross into the U.S. from Mexico via the Free Trade Bridge in Los Indio Tuesday morning.
His white 2006 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck was sent to a secondary inspection area, where a CBP canine alerted that narcotics were inside the truck, the criminal complaint reads.
The truck was X-rayed and officers found bundles, which were later determined to be cocaine, stored behind the backseat, the criminal complaint states.
A further search of the truck led to the discovery of a hidden compartment, where more cocaine was found.
A total of 4.3 kilograms or 9.47 pounds of cocaine was recovered.
According to the criminal complaint, Trevino Naranjo provided the officers with a voluntary statement indicating he was going to be paid $1,000 for smuggling the cocaine and that “this was his first time transporting illegal narcotics into the United States.”
Trevino Naranjo also told the officers he met with two men who provided him with the cocaine in Mexico on Jan. 17 at around 5 a.m. and that he helped load the drugs into his vehicle, the federal criminal complaint reads.
