A Laredo man is behind bars in the Rio Grande Valley after authorities found more than 500 pounds of cocaine in the attic of home he was renting.
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents arrested 23-year-old Alexandro Celestino on drug charges on Thursday.
Court records revealed that Celestino was storing cocaine at a home he was renting off the 1300 block of Heron Court in McAllen.
DEA agents kept him under surveillance and searched the home where they found eight duffle bags in the attic.
Investigators reported that the duffle bags had 198 bricks with more than 508 pounds of cocaine.
Celestino appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Ormsby in McAllen on Thursday.
Records show that Celestino is an American citizen from Rio Bravo, a small community just outside Laredo.
Celestino allegedly told DEA agents that a man he only knew as "Manuel" or "Meme" was paying him $2,000 dollars to run the stash house.
Judge Ormbsy denied bond for Celestino until a Wednesday morning hearing.