Thread: TX: Grisly details in brutal border kidnapping

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Grisly details in brutal border kidnapping

Web Posted: 03/02/2007 10:32 PM CST

Mariano Castillo
Express-News Border Bureau

LAREDO — Three men suspected in a brutal cross-border kidnapping remained at large Friday, as new details of the violent incident became available.
Authorities have arrested three suspects, but are still searching for Ruben Saucedo Cabrera, 25; Enrique Adriano, 30, and Rogelio Isai Garcia, 25, in connection with a Feb. 17 kidnapping of a man from a tony Laredo neighborhood.

Facing kidnapping charges are Mario Jesus Obregon, 39; Mauricio Bartoni, 19, and Christopher Jaime Cardenas, 23.

According to a federal criminal complaint unsealed Friday, Cardenas used an AK-47 assault rifle to poke out the eye of the victim, Mateo Ezequiel Valiente Solis, 26, at Valiente's home.

A federal official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said all of the parties in the case were involved in drug trafficking on both sides of the border.

On Feb. 17, Valiente went to his residence in upscale north Laredo, a home owned by Obregon, the document states.

Instead of finding his roommate, Valiente found the other five men, drinking beer, the complaint states.

At some point, Adriano confronted Valiente about his ties with Obregon's "business" and was told that he was gaining too much control, the court document states.

That's when the group beat him up and when the rifle was used to poke his eye out.

Obregon returned home to this scene, only to be confronted by a choice from Adriano: Was he going to side with Valiente, or with him, the document states.

Obregon chose Adriano, and with his blessing, the group forcibly took Valiente across the border into Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, where they shot him twice and left him for dead at the riverbank, according to the complaint.

Valiente survived and earlier this week was transferred to a Laredo hospital, where authorities got his story.

More free medical care for a drug smuggler, at least this time he can testify against other drug smugglers instead of BP agents trying to do their jobs.