Diego Mauricio Moran Gonzalez

Colombian salsa singer Diego Moran is facing drug charges after allegedly bringing heroin into the United States.
Federal Prosecutors in Miami have charged Moran with one count each of bringing heroin into the U.S. and with possessing the drug with the intent to distribute it.
Authorities say on Dec. 19 the 33-year-old Moran flew from Colombia to Miami International Airport and was stopped by Border Patrol officers who suspected he was carrying the drugs. An X-ray showed several "pellets" in his intestines, according to court documents. Investigators later found Moran was carrying a total of 60 pellets containing heroin internally and 40 more on his body.
Investigators said a field test showed the presence of the drug.
Moran reportedly told agents that he was paid $16,000 to transport the drugs to the U.S., according to an order issued by U.S. Magistrate Andrea Simonton. On Jan. 3, Simonton ordered Moran be detained until his trial. A date for his next hearing was not immediately available.
Moran's full name is Diego Mauricio Moran Gonzalez. He faces a maximum sentence of between 40 years and life in prison, depending on whether he was allegedly carrying more than a kilogram of the drug.

Messages left for Moran's attorney, federal public defender Faith Mesnekoff, were not immediately returned Thursday.