I'm sure this is just a simple misunderstanding ...
Posted on 02/02/2008 12:15:40 PM PST by SwinneySwitch
McALLEN - Authorities continue to investigate the life-threatening kidnapping and ransom of a McAllen resident, which police officials called unique because the victim has no ties to drugs or organized crime.
Authorities exchanged a $250,000 ransom, and the victim returned with injuries to family earlier this week, said McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez. Police would not say the extent of the injuries.
Police are releasing limited details about the incident citing an ongoing investigation and fear for the victim’s safety.
They only say that he or she is an adult and has a wealthy family.
The alleged kidnappers apparently targeted this person solely because they believed family members could satisfy the large ransom, Rodriguez said.
Investigators say the kidnappers assaulted the person with weapons, putting his or her life in danger.
McAllen detectives have worked with the FBI, the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office and the Houston Police Department on this investigation.
So far, authorities have apprehended three suspects and they believe more remain at large.
Authorities declined to say whether the suspects have ties to organized crime or drug cartels.
Kidnappers took the person Monday at gunpoint in McAllen and police declined to say where.
McAllen police often respond to kidnappings that turn out to be a misunderstanding or a custody dispute.
“We quickly confirmed this was a kidnapping, an actual kidnapping,” Rodriguez said at a press conference. “This kidnapping was for ransom.”
Authorities gave the money to suspects Wednesday at a location on the south side of Houston, officials said.
Police and FBI agents monitored the drop and the money. Once the suspects released the person, Houston police arrested Sergio Arredondo, 24 of Houston, and found him with evidence from the ransom.
Other suspects had held the person at a rural location in northern Hidalgo County, Rodriguez said.
They injured the person during the kidnapping and authorities believe the person’s life was threatened.
After recovering the victim, police arrested 24-year-old Gilbert Gonzalez Peña in Alamo, where he is from. Investigators recovered $17,000 of the ransom from Peña.
The investigation also identified Domingo Lara, 25 of Mission, as a suspect in the case. Mission police arrested Lara Friday evening.
Lara and Peña will face first degree felony kidnapping charges in Hidalgo County. Rodriguez said they could be arraigned as soon as Monday. Arredondo remains in custody at the Houston Police Department, and he will likely face the same charges, Rodriguez said.
The kidnapping comes two days after the McAllen Police Department announced a 10 percent rise in the city’s crime rate.
The chief said then that McAllen and the surrounding cities had become a burgeoning metropolitan area and with growth comes an increase in crime.
He reiterated that point Friday.
“The area is changing,” Rodriguez said. “This is very different than the usual purported kidnapping we see.”
Special Agent Joe Johnson, head of the FBI in McAllen, said his agency continues to help in this investigation. The FBI has collected much information, but Johnson said revealing too much now could jeopardize the case.
Valle Ping!
If you want on, or off this S. Texas/Mexico ping list, please FReepMail me.
No kidding. I was reading something here last week that said the Phoenix metro area experienced 149 such kidnappings in '07.
Ping!
Is imported crime more desirable than the domestic kind? Or does that just apply to wine and judicial decisions?
The question begging to be asked is whether the perps were illegal aliens. It was not mentioned in the story. My suspicion is that there is a reason.
Santa Muerte?
Hmmmm...I erased my comment twice trying to ask that question.
I thought better of it...to guess that they’re illegals, or to state what is irrefutable regarding the upswing in these kidnappings.
It’s hard to say in the Valle, they have their own homegrown criminal gangs, including Zetas. Stay tuned for updates.
A related article:
Kidnapping scams, common in Mexico, find way to Houston
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1959977/posts
Translation:
El área cambia.
McAllen seems to be in the news a lot lately.
With so many inhabitants from south of the border now north of the border, why should we be surprised when they bring their clever enterprises with them?
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