3 Mexican Drug Cartel Members Indicted for Kidnapping in South Carolina

The Mexican drug cartels' influence and operations continue to push far beyond the US-Mexico border and are becoming a greater concern for American law enforcement and a serious threat to Americans. Three men known to associate with a Mexican drug cartel have been arrested in South Carolina and are now facing charges stemming from their alleged kidnapping and ransoming of a South Carolina man.

According to the Fay Observer, the man was held in Cumberland County for almost a week in a reported dispute regarding approximately $200,000 in marijuana. Authorities state that on July 9, the three accused men disguised as police officers pulled the victim over while he was driving to work in the town of St. Mathews. The men then abducted the man, leaving his truck running on the side of the road. 

The suspects, Juan Manuel Fuentes-Morales, Ruben Ceja-Rangel and Luis Castro-Villeda have been indicted for conspiracy to commit kidnapping, substantive kidnapping, hostage taking for ransom and two counts each for "brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence," reports the Observer. 

According to FBI special agent David Thomas, the victim was moved in an out of five homes in Bladen, Robeson and Cumberland counties during his abduction at the hand of the three suspects. When the man was found by the authorities, he was reportedly chained to the floor and blindfolded in a house in Cumberland County. 

The case stretched across states ranging from Texas to North Carolina and involved somewhere between 300 to 500 officers. The FBI was able to locate the victim by analyzing the phone calls made by the suspects as they demanded ransom for the 23-year-old South Carolina man. 

The victim was involved in the delivery of certain narcotics in the area, including cocaine and marijuana. When one of his customers allegedly took over 200 pounds of marijuana without paying, the three suspects held the man responsible for the deal gone sour. 

The victim is not currently in custody and will apparently not face any charges from his own involvement in the narcotics trade. The three suspects are facing maximum life sentences in prison if convicted, and their arraignment is scheduled for later this month in Columbia, South Carolina.