Sixteen U.S. Marines arrested on suspicion of human trafficking
JULY 25, 2019
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Sixteen U.S. Marines were
arrested on Thursday at their base in Southern California on suspicion of
drug-related offenses and the smuggling of undocumented migrants along the
U.S.-Mexico border, U.S. military officials said.
The arrests at Camp Pendleton stemmed from a separate investigation of
two other Marines arrested earlier this month on human trafficking charges
filed by federal prosecutors in San Diego, a base spokesman said.
Those two Marines, Lance Corporals Byron Darnell Law II, and David Javier
Salazar-Quintero was also stationed at Camp Pendleton, about 55 miles (88 km)
north of San Diego, according to the spokesman, Marine First Lieutenant Cameron
Edinburgh.
“Information gained from the previous investigation gave way to this
string of arrests,” Edinburgh told Reuters.
The Marine Corps said that in addition to the Marines arrested on
Thursday, eight others were detained for questioning on unrelated alleged drug offenses.
The 16 taken into custody were all part of the 1st Marine Division at
Camp Pendleton, one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States.
None one of those arrested or detained on Thursday was serving in
support of the military’s mission along the border with Mexico, the Marine
Corps said.
Unlike Salazar and Law, the Marines faced prosecution under the military
justice system but no formal charges have been brought against them as yet,
Edinburgh said.
The precise nature of the alleged wrongdoing was not disclosed, but
Edinburgh said the troops were suspected of involvement in the smuggling of
undocumented immigrants into the United States from Mexico and various
unspecified drug-related offenses.
The two Marines arrested July 3 on charges of transporting aliens for
financial gain was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents several miles north
of the border along a highway in San Diego County.
According to court documents filed in that case, Salazar and Law picked
up to three undocumented Mexican immigrants by a car near the border, guided to a
pre-arranged location via cellphone instructions. The three migrants were found
riding in the back seat of the Marines’ car, and they told investigators they
had agreed to pay $8,000 to be smuggled into the United States.
Thursday’s arrests came a day after the military said a Navy SEAL team
was sent back from Iraq because of discipline issues. An official said it was
because, in part, they had been drinking alcohol, something that is prohibited.
Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; additional reporting by Idrees
Ali in Washington; editing by Cynthia Osterman
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario