CA - 16 Camp Pendleton Marines arrested for alleged human smuggling and drug offenses, July 2019

[JerseyGirl]

Naval Criminal Investigative Service carried out a mass arrest of 16 Marines Thursday morning during a battalion formation aboard Camp Pendleton, California, according to Marine Corps officials.

The Marines were arrested for allegations related to “various illegal activities” from human smuggling to drugs.

Another 8 Marines were questioned about their involvement in alleged drug offenses, the release said. "Information gained from a previous human smuggling investigation precipitated the arrests."

The arrest of the 16 can be traced back to the case of two Marine infantrymen, Lance Cpl. Byron Law and Lance Cpl. David Javier Salazar-Quintero, who were pulled over and arrested by Border Patrol on July 3 — along with three undocumented immigrants in the backseat — as they were allegedly trying to make a quick buck shuttling people from Mexico into the United States.

16 Marines arrested after being tied to smuggling of undocumented immigrants from Mexico

16 Camp Pendleton Marines arrested by NCIS for alleged human smuggling and drug offenses

 

[Reasonable & Just]

Holy cow. If guilty, what a disgrace.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Behind the dramatic arrest of 16 Marines: "It's a shock to the system"

 

[JerseyGirl]

A Marine Corps judge has found that the public mass arrest of 16 Marines who were pulled out of battalion formation in July at Camp Pendleton was unlawful and a violation of their rights.

The Marines were later charged with being involved in migrant smuggling and drug possession and/or distribution.

The ruling came during a pre-trial hearing, Nov. 5, on the military base.

Public mass arrest of Marines at Camp Pendleton was ‘unlawful,’ judge rules – Orange County Register