Sixteen US Marines arrested on host of human trafficking and drugs charges
- Arrests come after two marines were taken into custody earlier in the month for allegedly smuggling undocumented Mexican migrants into the US
The US military said on Thursday it had arrested 16 Marines on human trafficking and drug-related charges.
The group was taken into custody during a battalion formation at Camp Pendleton, a major Marine base in California about 65 miles (90km) north of the Mexican border.
“The 16 Marines were arrested for alleged involvement in various illegal activities ranging from human smuggling to drug-related offenses. Information gained from a previous human smuggling investigation precipitated the arrests,” the military said in a statement.
It added that eight other Marines “were taken aside to be questioned on their involvement in alleged drug offenses unrelated to today’s arrests.”
Marine spokeswoman Major Kendra Motz said the charges were a “mixed bag” and not all of the arrested Marines were accused of human trafficking.