A Customs and Border Protection officer was arrested last Friday after prosecutors accused him of taking bribes and allowing drug-hauling vehicles to cross a South Texas checkpoint into the United States, The Associated Press reported.

Jose Luis Zavala, of Brownsville, Texas, was denied bond at his initial court appearance Monday. He faces charges of bribery of a public official and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana; if convicted, the conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. The officer is to remain in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service, according to the Brownsville Herald.

In its complaint, the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of Texas alleged a van that Zavala had inspected at the Gateway International Bridge Nov. 19 was filled with 3,002 pounds of marijuana that was not concealed or made to appear as legitimate cargo. The bridge is one of three international crossings between Brownsville and the adjacent Mexican city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas.

"Unbeknownst" to the officer, the vehicle was later subject to a secondary inspection, during with the drugs were discovered. The driver, who reportedly had presented an American passport, abandoned the car and ran into Mexico, where U.S. Customs and Border Protection lack jurisdiction.

Court records indicate that a confidential source told federal agents he and others had been paid $360 to provide their U.S. passport cards to a Mexican drug cartel, which used the documents to smuggle marijuana into United States.

The informant said cartel members had met with a U.S. immigration officer known under the pseudonym "Pepe," a physical description of whom matched Zelaya. The source also knew details about the officer's car and later identified him from a photo lineup created by agents.

Authorities searched Zelaya's personal cell phone and said they discovered messages detailing how much he would be paid to allow the drugs to cross into the United States. The officer had been working for Customs and Border Protection for seven years.