More than a dozen United States Marines were arrested Thursday morning for alleged involvement in various illegal activities, ranging from human smuggling to drug-related offenses, according to a release from the 1st Marine Division.

According to Task & Purpose, the arrests were connected to the case of Marine infantrymen, Lance Cpl. Byron Law and Lance Cpl. David Javier Salazar-Quintero, who were arrested — along with the three undocumented immigrants who were in their car — for allegedly attempting to earn cash by driving people from Mexico into the United States, according to a complaint filed in federal court that was first reported by Quartz.

According to the complaint, Law came to Salazar offering him an opportunity to make $1,000 picking up an "illegal alien." The two picked up a single immigrant and dropped them off at a McDonald's parking lot in Del Mar. Following that job, which took place on July 2, the pair went out again to pick up three more immigrants, when they were stopped and arrested. The complaint states that two of the three immigrants had offered to pay $8,000 to be smuggled into the United States.

"1st Marine Division is committed to justice and the rule of law, and we will continue to fully cooperate with NCIS on this matter,” the 1st Marine Division's statement read. "Any Marines found to be in connection with these alleged activities will be questioned and handled accordingly with respect to due process."

While 16 marines were arrested for their involvement in the human smuggling scheme, another eight were questioned about their involvement in alleged drug offenses. The information gathered in the human smuggling investigation led directly to the eight drug arrests, according to the 1st Marine District's release on the matter.

"We are aware of the charges facing Lance Cpl. Law and Lance Cpl. Salazar-Quintero, and we continue to cooperate fully with the investigative efforts into this matter," Marine spokesman 1st Lt. Cameron Edinburgh previously told Task & Purpose.

According to the release, none of the Marines arrested or detained for questioning served in support of the Southwest Border Support mission.

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