WASHINGTON – New footage from the US Marines Corps Communication Officeshows the arrest of 15 Marines by dozens of Naval Criminal InvestigativeService (NCIS) agents earlier this year following an investigation into ahuman smuggling ring at the US-Mexico border.
On July 25, approximately 800 US Marines of the 1st Battalion, 5th MarineRegiment were assembled at the Camp San Mateo section of Marine Corps BaseCamp Pendleton in San Diego County, California, for a special recognitionceremony highlighting 15 of their peers.
While the select group of Marines may have thought they were about toreceive an award or honor, 5th Regiment Sgt. Major Matthew A. Dorseyquickly dismissed those thoughts when he pointed at the service members andsaid, “NCIS, arrest these Marines,” according to the San Diego Union-Tribunelink.[image: Loading video]
This mass arrest, reported by Sputniklinkbackin July, came three weeks after Lance Corporals David JavierSalazar-Quintero and Byron Darnell Law II were arrestedlinkonaccusations of illegally transporting immigrants across the US-Mexicoborder “for financial gain.”
“We are aware of the charges facing Lance Cpl. Law and Lance Cpl.Salazar-Quintero, and we continue to cooperate fully with the investigativeefforts into this matter,” Marine spokesman 1st Lt. Cameron Edinburgh toldthe Marine Corps Times after the July 3 arrest of the pair.
That cooperation ultimately led to the arrest conducted by some 40 NCISagents and recorded by the USMC, according to a statement from the MarineCorps.
“It was an eye-opening thing for the rest of the battalion,” Edinburgh toldthe OC RegisterlinkonJuly 25. “It had a shock and awe factor. The command wanted to send amessage to make clear this type of behavior is not tolerated.” – Sputnik