Servicemen probed for smuggling drugs from Mexico
'Isolated incidents': 50 Marines, sailors targeted
Associated Press

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SAN DIEGO (AP) - U.S. servicemen have smuggled marijuana and cocaine into California for drug rings, sometimes using their military training or positions to aid traffickers, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.

At least 50 Marines and sailors have been investigated or are under investigation for narcotics trafficking, military officials told the Times.

That represents a fraction of the more than 100,000 personnel in the San Diego area, said Wayne Clookie, a special agent for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

"To the best of our knowledge, these are isolated incidents," Clookie said in a written response to the newspaper. "We have no information which would indicate drug smuggling is a widespread problem." (I called the Navy - a U.S. Navy commander in San Francisco and the NCIS in San Diego - but they weren't too interested in my information. The commander said "put it on the net"... so I did. - author, U.S. Border Report)

Although officials declined to provide specific case details, five involved Marines who allegedly drove narcotics through Camp Pendleton to bypass the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on nearby Interstate 5. The site is 60 miles north of Tijuana.

U.S. Customs Service agents have investigated 10 to 15 cases of active-duty military men and reservists involved in narcotics trafficking, the Times said, citing an unidentified federal official.

Federal drug agents also arrested some servicemen who allegedly were working for Mexican drug rings, records showed.

Authorities said most of the rings had ties to the Arellano-Felix cartel of Tijuana, which brings tons of cocaine and marijuana into the United States.

Among the key cases involving military personnel:

- Seaman Jeffrey T. Baca was arrested March 20 at the border while trying to import more than 120 pounds of marijuana, according to Navy spokesman Capt. Gregg Hartung in San Diego. Baca was reduced in rank and will be discharged after serving 12 months in the brig.

- Marine Lance Cpl. Jason Allen Miller and a Mexican national were arrested on Feb. 9, 1997, for transporting 1,000 pounds of marijuana into the United States by using a rubber speedboat to sneak past Coast Guard and Navy radar. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in prison.

- In 1995, Marine Cpl. Yiluarde "Jerry" Pacheco was arrested after DEA officials alleged he belonged to a drug ring based in Yorba Linda [CA].

1998 Associated Press

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