Thread: NC: Complex' kidnapping plot foiled by FBI rescue in Cumberland County

Complex' kidnapping plot foiled by FBI rescue in Cumberland County

Posted 5:12 p.m. yesterday
Updated 5:13 a.m. today


Fayetteville, N.C. — On July 9, a 23-year-old man in St. Matthews, S.C., was on his way to work when he was pulled over by people he thought were law enforcement officers.
Instead, they were kidnappers.
The man’s abduction, and the investigation resulting in his rescue in Cumberland County on Tuesday, led FBI investigators to another country and through multiple states.
It was all over drugs, said David Thomas, special agent in charge of the FBI office in Columbia, S.C.
“It was complex because we had a victim that was kidnapped in St. Matthews, S.C., and the hostage demands were coming in from Mexico,” he said. “So, automatically you got a huge issue when you have another country involved. There were telephone calls coming from multiple numbers, multiple people and our victim, we had no idea where in the United States he was located. So, at that point, you have a lot of territory to cover and not a lot of information in which to do that.”
The victim’s pickup truck was found in a driveway with the driver’s door open and the engine running, which led South Carolina investigators to quickly assume they were dealing with a possible abduction, Thomas said.
The pieces were put together the next day when the victim’s family started receiving phone calls demanding money, Thomas said.
In a typical kidnapping investigation, authorities look at where the hostage phone calls are coming from, which is likely where the victim is, Thomas said.
But this case was different, one of the most complex of Thomas’ 25-year law enforcement career.
“We knew that our victim wasn’t going to be in Mexico, but that narrowed it down to the United States, which wasn’t very helpful,” he said.
Within the following days, the FBI poured multiple resources into the investigation. Special hostage negotiators were flown in from Washington, D.C. FBI SWAT teams from Columbia, Charlotte and Atlanta were brought in, along with an FBI elite hostage rescue team.
Leads came in from across the country, including Houston, Jacksonville, Fla., Philadelphia, Norfolk, Va., and New Haven, Conn.
More than 20 law enforcement agencies across the country were involved in the case, including the Raleigh, Durham and Fayetteville police departments and the Durham County Sheriff’s Office.
“We didn’t know where the victim was,” Thomas said. “If a lead came in and we had information, we had people that might be travelling and things we were trying to find and persons of interest, people that might have information. So, we were searching and running down any lead we possibly could, and it took us into other states and in all type of directions until we could compile it all and eventually come up with an area that we felt fairly certain that our victim would be in.”
Authorities narrowed their search to North Carolina within the first few days of the investigation.
“We knew there were people there we were interested in, but we had no way of knowing until the time we recovered the victim,” Thomas said. “There was no way to be 100 percent sure.”
Investigators identified five locations between Cumberland and Robeson counties where the victim could be. Each location was searched early Tuesday morning.
The victim, whose name has not been released for safety, was found in a residence in Cumberland County. He was injured, but not severely, Thomas said. The man has since been reunited with his family.
More information about the case, including the names of those arrested, will be released Wednesday, Thomas said.
“There will be considerable amount of work left to do in this case,” he said.

Read more at http://www.wral.com/Complex-kidnappi...5DHGy5humE1.99

Kidnapping plot was tied to Mexican drug cartel, federal documents allege

Posted 1:03 p.m. today
Updated 1:57 p.m. today



MORE ON THIS


ROSEBORO, N.C. — A man rescued in Cumberland County in what authorities say was a complex kidnapping plot had been delivering drugs for a Mexican drug cartel and owed it $200,000, according to a federal complaint filed Wednesday.

FBI agents found the unidentified 23-year-old victim chained and blindfolded at a home in Roseboro around 5 a.m. Tuesday, six days after he was kidnapped in St. Matthews, S.C., while he was on his way to work.

The criminal complaint said the victim's fiancée found his truck parked in a neighbor's yard on July 9 and that the keys were in the ignition and the motor running. She received more than a dozen calls over the next several days with ransom demands that ranged between $100,000 and $400,000.

The phone calls, which originated from Mexico, led authorities on a nationwide search for the victim before investigators focused their efforts on a home at 13943 N.C. Highway 210 South, about 160 miles from St. Matthews.

Three men – Juan Manuel Fuentes-Morales, 26, Reuben Ceja-Renjal, 57, and Luis Castro-Villeda, 22 – were also arrested Tuesday and face federal kidnapping charges.

Investigators said Wednesday that they expect more arrests.

David Thomas, FBI special agent in charge in Columbia, S.C., said Wednesday that the victim was injured and that he believed he was being pulled over by police officers when he was abducted at gunpoint.

"It was complex because we had a victim that was kidnapped in St. Matthews, S.C., and the hostage demands were coming in from Mexico," he said. "We knew that our victim wasn’t going to be in Mexico, but that narrowed it down to the United States, which wasn’t very helpful."

Read more at http://www.wral.com/kidnapping-plot-...hhMryIu44ML.99

Moved from General to News.

South Carolina Man Kidnapped By Cartel Members

10:43 AM 07/17/2014
Justin Smith

Three members of a Mexican drug cartel kidnapped a man from South Carolina and held him for ransom for more than a week, authorities said Wednesday.

The cartel members, posing as police officers, pulled over the man as he was on his way to work, about 30 miles outside of Columbia. They then blindfolded and bound him before taking him to a house in North Carolina, holding him for ransom. The FBI said the dispute was because the man owed the cartel $200,000 in marijuana.

The man’s family began receiving ransom demands within hours after his abduction. The cartel called his fiancee demanding $400,000.

The FBI traced phone calls of the cartel members and raided the house, finding the man bound in chains and being guarded by two men. He was rescued unharmed and the FBI also arrested three cartel members.

According to a complaint filed in federal court, the man was involved in selling cocaine and marijuana in parts of North and South Carolina. The cartel gave the man 200 pounds of marijuana several months ago, worth about $200,000. However, after giving the marijuana to another dealer, he wasn’t able to pay the cartel back. The FBI has not been able to confirm the truth of this statement.

No charges are being filed against the man right now, and he is not in custody. “Right now he’s a victim, and we will have to look at that very carefully” said FBI agent David Thomas.
The cartel members appeared in a Raleigh federal court on Wednesday, and are being held without bail. Details have not been released about their cartel affiliation. The prosecution said they will likely face extradition to South Carolina.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2014/07/17/so...#ixzz37nx1uWKx

Some more of Jeb's friends just trying to make a living, maybe?