MIAMI -- An employee of the Florida Marlins was allegedly asked to place a padlocked bag containing a pound of marijuana aboard the team's charter flight from Montreal, club officials said.

Carlos Luis Perez, a former bullpen catcher for the Marlins who now has a similar job with the Montreal Expos, asked Florida video coordinator Cullen McRae before last Thursday's game in Montreal to bring the bag back to Pro Player Stadium.

When McRae and team equipment manager John Silverman opened the bag in Montreal, they found the marijuana and turned it over to police, Silverman said.

Marlins manager Jeff Torborg called the incident "frightening."

The team's charter flight stopped in Syracuse, N.Y., early Friday morning for a routine check by U.S. Customs agents. Had the marijuana been on board, Torborg said the team probably would not have made it home in time for Friday night's game against Philadelphia.

"That's not funny stuff,'' Torborg said.

Perez was arrested Friday on charges of drug possession with intent to export. He pleaded not guilty and was given conditional release after posting a $5,000 bond. He has a home in Miami and is allowed to return to the United States, said his lawyer, Yves Vaillancourt.

Perez was fired by the Marlins earlier this year when former Expos owner Jeffrey Loria bought the team.