GOSHEN — A man who was arrested last week with $150,000 worth of cocaine appeared in court for his initial hearing.

Martin Garcia-Rodriguez, 31, of Goshen, has been charged with dealing in more than three grams of cocaine, a Class A felony. Garcia-Rodriguez was arrested March 12 in his residence and booked in the Elkhart County Jail on a $150,000 bond.

According to the probable cause affidavit for Garcia-Rodriguez’s case, the Elkhart interdiction and Covert Enforcement Unit started an investigation on Jan. 24 by making numerous undercover purchases of cocaine. The person from whom they made the purchases led the ICE Unit to Garcia-Rodriguez’s residence, in the 2600 block of South Main Street.

After obtaining a warrant, police searched the residence. At first they did not find Garcia-Rodriguez, but they went to a separate location on Kercher Road that was known to police because of their investigation. According to the affidavit, one of the undercover purchases was made at that separate location.

Upon reaching the location on Kercher Road, police saw Garcia-Rodriguez leaving in his vehicle. Garcia-Rodriguez was stopped for a traffic violation about a mile west of his residence on C.R. 38. Police found a small amount of cocaine in his vehicle “after a K-9 sniff from (an Indiana State Police officer) drug detection dog.”

In Garcia-Rodriguez’s house police found cocaine and scales in a bedroom and in the kitchen.

After waiving his Miranda rights, Garcia-Rodriguez told police the bedroom in which the cocaine was found was his and that he had been dealing in cocaine during the last three months. He admitted to having obtained the drugs from a supplier in Michigan and that he sold grams of cocaine to 10 or 15 different people.

Police found a total of 140 grams of cocaine and about $8,000 cash in the residence. Garcia-Rodriguez appeared for his initial hearing Wednesday, March 20, at the Elkhart Circuit Court, where he was appointed an attorney from the public defender’s office.

Garcia-Rodriguez’s trial has been scheduled for June 17.