A Matamoros man is behind bars in the Rio Grande Valley after a K-9 officer foiled his alleged attempt to smuggle cocaine into the United States.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers arrested 27-year-old Leonel Martinez-Mancilla on Tuesday.
Court records show that Martinez-Mancilla drove up from Mexico in a Ford Focus at Brownsville's B&M International bridge.
Customs officers sent his car to secondary inspection where a K-9 officer detected something suspicious in the dashboard.
Authorities found six bundles with 12.9 pounds of cocaine worth $413,000 dollars inside.
Martinez-Mancilla appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald Morgan on Thursday morning.
Investigators said Martinez-Mancilla is a Mexican national who lives in Matamoros.
Judge Morgan denied bond for Martinez-Mancilla until a Tuesday afternoon hearing.
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