Laredo, Texas – In a shocking turn of events, five Laredoans have been ordered to prison for their roles in a kidnapping ordered by Los Zetas and executed by members and associates of the gang Hermanos Pistoleros Latinos (HPL).
Efrain Garza, 33, and Ernesto Zaragoza-Solis, 31, were convicted of conspiracy to kidnap, conspiracy to use and discharge and using and discharging a weapon during a crime of violence. Today, U.S. District Court Judge Diana Saldana ordered Garza to serve a total of 447 months in federal prison, while Zaragoza-Solis will serve a 360-month-term.
Nicolas Sanchez Reyes, 52, was also sentenced today for his role in the crime. He was convicted of conspiracy to export firearms and will serve 120 months in prison. Grace Diaz Martinez, 35, who admitted to being an accessory after the fact to attempt to kidnap, will serve a 48-month-term of imprisonment.
Pablo Cerda, 38, who was convicted of conspiracy to kidnap, conspiracy to use and discharge a weapon and conspiracy to export firearms, was sentenced to a total of 192 months in federal prison.
The case was investigated by the DEA, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Laredo Police Department, and Webb County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Lou Castillo is prosecuting the case.
The investigation, known as OCDETF Operation El Chacal, was spearheaded by the DEA and culminated in several indictments being returned in November 2011 in Laredo. In March 2012, a Laredo grand jury returned an indictment on charges relating to gun violations and kidnaping.
The kidnapping was ordered by Los Zetas in retribution for a money load alleged to have been stolen by a subject who was supposed to deliver the drug proceeds to Los Zetas in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. On Sept. 14, 2010, approximately $2 million was delivered from Chicago to a warehouse in Laredo. The money was then stolen by someone who had picked it up from the warehouse and was supposed to transport it to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Violent Crime|Organized Crime|Weapons
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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