A Mexico City man is behind bars in the Rio Grande Valley after he allegedly tried to smuggle more than $2.4 million dollars worth of cocaine into the United States.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers arrested 30-year-old Omar Piñeda-Guatemala at Mission’s Anzalduas International Bridge on Sunday.

Piñeda-Guatemala drove up from Reynosa in a 2006 Honda Pilot.

Customs officers sent the vehicle to secondary inspection where they found 29 packages with 76 pounds of cocaine hidden in the undercarriage.

Court records released in the investigation reveal that Piñeda-Guatemala was working for a man who he knew as the “Architect” or “Arqui.”

Piñeda-Guatemala told investigators that “El Arqui” flew him from Mexico City to Reynosa where he stayed overnight at a hotel and was given the car.

The Mexico City man was supposed to drive the car to La Plaza Mall in McAllen where he was supposed to leave it for two hours.

Piñeda-Guatemala was supposed to get paid $7,000 dollars for the trip and get another $7,000 dollars to do it again next weekend.

The Mexico City man appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dorina Ramos in McAllen on Monday.

Investigtors told Action 4 News that Piñeda-Guatemala is a Mexican national who lives in Mexico City.

Judge Ramos denied bond for Piñeda-Guatemala until a Thursday morning hearing.