13 Illegal Aliens Posing as U.S. Marines Captured at Calif. Border

It seems illegal aliens are getting more creative. That's one possible conclusion after 13 of them were caught last week near the San Diego border while posing as U.S. Marines.

The men were caught traveling in a fake military van that had stolen Marine Corps license plates. The van was pulled over at a checkpoint and agents began questioning the occupants. What may have tipped them off? All the uniforms were plastered with the same last name: Perez.

"This effort is an example of the lengths smugglers will go through to avoid detection, and the skilled and effective police work of the agents and the customs and border protection," Border Patrol spokesman Michael Jiminez said.

It's unclear where the men got the uniforms, but two Americans were accompanying the illegal aliens and were arrested along with them. Three of the smuggled men are still in custody while the others have been returned to Mexico, the Daily Mail reports.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and the Border Patrol are reportedly conducting a joint investigation of the incident.