A border police officer was arrested on suspicions of soliciting a $9,000 bribe from a driver so that he could escape criminal punishment for smuggling, the police said.

According to the informant, the officer requested the money to re-classify the offense from a criminal to an administrative one.

The officer, who faces up to 10 years in prison, has been arrested for 72 hours and is now in the custody of the National Anticorruption Center.