U.S. Coast Guard personnel arrested one of four individuals spotted carrying marijuana across the Rio Grande this week after one smuggled packages weighing over 200 pounds through the Brownsville Ship Channel, authorities said.
A federal criminal complaint filed on Tuesday stated that a Mexican national, Mauricio Mendez-Martinez, entered the United States with four unknown conspirators carrying approximately 201.6 pounds of marijuana on Sept. 29.
The document stated that Mendez-Martinez then personally transported bundles containing marijuana on his back, “traversing land and waterways” until authorities made the arrest.
Coast Guard officials found Mendez-Martinez near the Brownsville Ship Channel and the Jaime M. Zapata Memorial Boat Ramp.
On a map, a canal of water leading to San Martin Lake is visible between the boat ramp and the Ship Channel.
According to the complaint, the bundles field tested positive for marijuana.
