Authorities have linked three men jailed in the Rio Grande Valley with the kidnapping, ransom and abuse of hundreds of immigrants in Reynosa.
U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement officials filed human smuggling charges on Tuesday against:
- Oscar Humberto Hilton-Romero
- Juan Duran-Bueno
- Jose Isabel Duran-Lopez
Court records show that the three men were being held in local jails on immigration charges when several jailed immigrants from Honduras came forward with the allegations.
Hilton-Romero is also a Honduran national but court records show he allegedly started working for an immigrant smuggling ring in Reynosa when he ran out of money.
The alleged victims told authorities that Hilton-Romero and other members of the ring participated in the kidnapping and abuse of hundreds of other-than-Mexican immigrants.
One the immigrants claims he was held for ransom for $3,500 dollars before he could be released to illegally cross into the United States.
The immigrants told investigators that Duran-Bueno and his uncle Duran-Lopez worked for the same ring as Hilton-Romero.
Court records show that Duran-Bueno and his uncle Duran-Lopez are Mexican nationals.
Border Patrol agents arrested Duran-Bueno, Hilton-Romero and six others for illegal immigration violations on July 1 in Alamo.
Duran-Bueno was deported back to Mexico but arrested again on July 10 in Alamo for another incident involving his uncle and 11 illegal immigrants.
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