An officer with Customs and Border Protection has been arrested and faces drug dealing and migrant smuggling charges after prosecutors say he repeatedly waved smuggling vehicles into the U.S. through his job at a port of entry.

Manuel Perez Jr. worked at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry in El Paso, Texas, where one of his duties was to man a vehicle lane.

According to the indictment in the case, Officer Perez would wave a particular Nissan Pathfinder into the U.S. when it came through his lane.

Sometimes an illegal immigrant would be driving. Other times migrants would be concealed in the vehicle.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem excoriated Officer Perez and said he would be prosecuted “to the fullest extent of the law.”

“To traffic drugs and smuggle humans while wearing the badge is not only a disgusting betrayal of our patriotic Customs and Border Protection agents, but of our nation and the American people,” Ms. Noem said.

Prosecutors say that in addition to the migrant smuggling, Officer Perez had at least 5 kilograms of cocaine he intended to distribute in Texas, Louisiana and North Carolina.

According to the indictment, one migrant who Officer Perez waived into the U.S. paid $16,000 for his trip. Another paid $9,000.

The indictment doesn’t say what Officer Perez’s cut of the payments was.

He was taken into custody on Saturday by the FBI’s El Paso West Texas Border Corruption Task Force as part of a multi-agency investigation and was held without bond at the El Paso County Jail.

• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.