A Bakersfield man could face 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to trafficking heroin in New Mexico.
28-year-old Mario Arvizo Padron Jr. was in federal court Tuesday in Albuquerque.
Federal drug agents arrested Padron in April 2015 after they seized more than 9 1/2 pounds of heroin from him at a bus station in Albuquerque.
Agents found the heroin in bundles that were concealed inside the lining of Padron's luggage.
Padron pleaded guilty to a felony charge of possession of heroin with intent to distribute.
He remains in federal custody pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
Padron faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
