A sixth man has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping a man for ransom in Chula Vista. Prosecutors say the case is part of a worrying trend of crimes in San Diego that exhibit the characteristics of Mexican drug cartels. KPBS reporter Amy Isackson has the story.
Prosecutor Mark Amador says the alleged kidnappers warned their victim they were after him. They held him in a house in an upscale area of Chula Vista for eight days until a FBI Swat team freed him.
Amador says the suspected captors kept the man chained to a wall, beat him and collected $200,000 ransom. Amador says the case is a perfect example of the kinds of cases San Diego law enforcement is concerned about.
Amador: There've been other cases that we know of, unsolved kidnappings, unsolved murders over the last two or three years, where there are people who are kidnapped who are living here legally and that these types of groups are working in the same manner as they do in the drug cartels.
Amador says it’s not clear if a drug cartel, offshoots or independent operators are behind the crimes. Experts say during the last few years, drug cartels in Mexico have turned to kidnapping to make money.
Last year, a surge in kidnappings in Tijuana sent families fleeing to San Diego for safety.
Amy Isackson, KPBS News.
