Men planned to kidnap three in San Diego and take them back to Tijuana to face drug debts
K. Mennem, May 21, 2013 for the San Diego Reader
According to United States Attorney Laura Duffy, the last of three men charged in a cross-border kidnapping plan has entered a guilty plea on May 21. Antonio Zermeno Garcia, Luis Miguel Salas Rodriguez and Carlos Alberto Andrade-De La Cruz, have all now admitted their March 2012 plan to kidnap three victims from San Diego and take them to Tijuana to face a drug debt. The suspects were arrested before carrying out their plan due to a confidential informant and wire-taps by the FBI.
According to information released by the FBI, Andrade-De La Cruz admitted to being the organizer of the group and that he had crossed into the U.S. illegally in order to commit the crime. Conspiracy to commit kidnapping can face a potential life sentence. However, the defendants are likely to be given a lighter sentence due to the plea bargain