A 20-year old Marine was arrested on Monday for allegedly attempting to smuggle two Chinese nationals over the U.S.-Mexico border near San Diego.
The junior enlisted Marine, assigned to the 1st Marine Division’s headquarters battalion at Camp Pendleton, California, was arrested by Customs and Border Protection officers at the San Ysidro port of entry at 1:30 a.m. according to a Marine Corps press statement. Customs officials found two Chinese women in the trunk of the Marine’s 2007 Mustang after he was pulled aside for additional inspection.
Civilian authorities are holding the Marine, while military and federal law enforcement officials decide who will have authority over the case. The CBP and Naval Criminal Investigative Service are investigating the incident.
“We will continue to cooperate with civilian authorities on this case going forward,” 1st Division spokesman 1st Lt. Cameron Edinburgh said in the statement.
Edinburgh confirmed to the Washington Examiner that the Marine has not served in the border support mission. The Marine Corps has not released the man’s name due to privacy concerns.
In July, Lance Cpl. Byron Law and Lance Cpl. David Javier Salazar-Quintero were arrested after CBP officers allegedly found three unauthorized migrants in their vehicle. Later that month, 16 Marines from the 1st Marine Division were arrested during formation for alleged involvement in human smuggling and drug trafficking. The arrests were captured on film. A judge ruled the public nature of those arrests unlawful in November. Days later, military prosecutors dropped charges against the Marines, who will be punished administratively.
“From what we’ve seen thus far, there’s no indication that these are related,” Edinburgh told the Washington Examiner.
