Two men charged after ransom demanded in immigrant smuggling case
By Vanessa Blum | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
July 29, 2008
The call came June 15. On the line was a smuggler who told Louis Lopez a boat had brought his cousin from Cuba — and Lopez's family would have to pay a $10,000 ransom for his release.

Rather than pay, Lopez, an officer with U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Miami, contacted law enforcement, according to a federal affidavit.

When the planned exchange went down in the parking lot of a Miami Wal-Mart, federal agents swooped in to arrest Niovel Chirino-Alvarez, 33, and Lazaro Martinez-Padron, 21.

On Monday, a Miami grand jury returned a 34-count indictment charging the men with alien smuggling and hostage taking. If convicted, each could be sentenced to life in prison.



According to federal prosecutors, Chirino-Alvarez and Martinez-Padron, both of Miami-Dade County, smuggled eight Cuban nationals to Florida. The pair then held theCubans against their will, demanding $10,000 payments from relatives for their release, prosecutors allege.

Both men have pleaded not guilty. Attorney Scott Saul, who represents Martinez-Padron, called the hostage-taking allegations "an exaggeration."

"Immigrant smuggling cases are naturally very common in South Florida. When someone does it for profit, there's going to be a demand for money," Saul said.

Prosecutors contend Chirino-Alvarez made an implied threat by telling Lopez if he did not pay, his cousin would be taken on the dangerous journey back to Cuba and might not survive.

Lopez insisted on speaking to his cousin by phone and agreed to pay the $10,000. About 12:30 a.m. June 17, Chirino-Alvarez and Martinez-Padron arrived for the exchange in a white Nissan SUV. Lopez and an undercover Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent paid $10,000 and retrieved Lopez's cousin, the affidavit states.

Immediately after the handoff, the ICE agent signaled other officers to arrest Chirino-Alvarez and Martinez-Padron. Those officers found seven Cuban nationals in the men's vehicle, according to prosecutors.

www.sun-sentinel.com