Five individuals accused of abducting migrants in the United States with the intention of extorting ransom from their families.

Four individuals have been taken into custody and charged with the abduction of migrants who had been smuggled into the United States, as well as extorting their families for ransom in exchange for their release, according to authorities on Monday. The suspects have entered not guilty pleas following their arraignment on an indictment by the U.S. attorney’s office based in Los Angeles. Despite the arrest of four individuals, a fifth suspect involved in the case is currently on the run, prosecutors noted in a statement.
The accused individuals reportedly seized the four migrants from a gas station in Arizona last year and proceeded to hold them captive in a residence in California, as per prosecutors. Afterward, three of the captives were relocated to a motel, where one managed to flee via a second-floor bathroom window and sought refuge in a nearby store, the statement revealed. Pursuing the escapee, one of the perpetrators pursued and physically assaulted the individual in an attempt to re-capture him, according to the statement.
Migrants who are attempting to enter the U.S. often become victims of abduction by criminal gangs and drug cartels in Mexico, and are susceptible to similar violent incidents even within U.S. borders.