http://www.krgv.com/news/local/story...moANGKWqQ.cspx
Unfortunately, I personally know of 4 people who have been kidnapped. One of them found dead 3 months ago. The other 3 are family of friends.
MCALLEN, TX - Kidnappings are risky, but experts say the ransom is worth the effort to the cartels.
Drug related kidnappings in the Valley have quadrupled in the past year.
Luis Escobar was kidnapped in Mexico. He was grabbed from his own car. He managed to escape.
"When they take me from one car to the other car, I see a lot of cars and traffic, and I begin to run," he says.
A short time later armed gunmen tried to kidnap him again. That's when Escobar packed his wife and children up and left Mexico behind.
They moved to San Antonio. Eventually starting a business that helps Mexican business owners find American investors.
He's not the only person who's faced kidnappers.
A well known bakery owner was kidnapped in November of 2006, and a muffler shop owner was taken from his McAllen shop in January of 2008.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation says it's just another money making plan for the cartels.
"It's a tool cartels use to exert control of their supply lilnes," says Special Agent John Johnson.
Johnson tells CHANNEL 5 NEWS at least 95% of all kidnappings in the Valley since 2008 are drug related.
The FBI started a task force in 2007 after kidnappings got to an all time high in Nuevo Laredo.
Now the increase is happening in the Valley.
"Even drug traffickers are calling us asking for help to get one of their family members back," says Johnson.
Law enforcement officials say it's hard to know exactly how many people are kidnapped since victims won't go to the police.
They do say since families of the kidnapped victims often pay the ransom to get their loved one back, which encourages the cartels to continue kidnapping people.
Drug related kidnappings in the Valley have quadrupled in the past year.
Luis Escobar was kidnapped in Mexico. He was grabbed from his own car. He managed to escape.
"When they take me from one car to the other car, I see a lot of cars and traffic, and I begin to run," he says.
A short time later armed gunmen tried to kidnap him again. That's when Escobar packed his wife and children up and left Mexico behind.
They moved to San Antonio. Eventually starting a business that helps Mexican business owners find American investors.
He's not the only person who's faced kidnappers.
A well known bakery owner was kidnapped in November of 2006, and a muffler shop owner was taken from his McAllen shop in January of 2008.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation says it's just another money making plan for the cartels.
"It's a tool cartels use to exert control of their supply lilnes," says Special Agent John Johnson.
Johnson tells CHANNEL 5 NEWS at least 95% of all kidnappings in the Valley since 2008 are drug related.
The FBI started a task force in 2007 after kidnappings got to an all time high in Nuevo Laredo.
Now the increase is happening in the Valley.
"Even drug traffickers are calling us asking for help to get one of their family members back," says Johnson.
Law enforcement officials say it's hard to know exactly how many people are kidnapped since victims won't go to the police.
They do say since families of the kidnapped victims often pay the ransom to get their loved one back, which encourages the cartels to continue kidnapping people.
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