REYNOSA, Tamaulipas — Mexican authorities arrested a teenager accused of taking part in a fake kidnapping scheme of an employee in order to fool a local businessman.
Tamaulipas police officers with the anti-kidnapping unit recently arrested 19-year-old Erick Adrian Hernandez as part of their investigation into the case information provided to Breitbart Texas by Tamaulipas authorities revealed.
The case began earlier this week when the businessman contacted authorities after an unknown man called demanding money in exchange for the life of one of his trusted employees. The businessman said that the caller claimed to have kidnapped one of the employees and that unless he paid money they would kill the employee.
Authorities did not release the name of the businessman. Investigators were able to track down Hernandez. Once in custody, the teen told police that the kidnapping never took place. According to authorities, the alleged kidnapping victim had been the one who planned on faking the kidnapping and had Hernandez help him by making the phone calls. investigators are currently searching for the employee for his role in the fake kidnapping.
Kidnappings in the border cities of Reynosa and Matamoros have been a real concern for local residents since the practice is a common money making tool used by the Gulf Cartel, the criminal organization that rules over the region. Historically the criminal organization focused on drug trafficking but in recent years it has shifted into human trafficking, fuel theft, kidnapping, extortion and other crimes as a way to make fast money.
As previously reported by Breitbart Texas, in Matamoros the Gulf Cartel has begun to specifically target innocent victims for kidnapping causing a wave of terror the that has taken hold of the region. Some of the kidnapping cases in Matamoros have resulted in tragic deaths even after the families have paid the requested ransom.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award winning journalist with Breitbart Texas you can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.
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