EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A San Elizario man was sentenced in a federal court in El Paso to nearly 12 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit hostage taking, according to the United States Attorney’s Office from the Western District of Texas.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Luis Lorenzo Salas, 25, operated a stash house where a human smuggling victim from Mexico was being held.
Salas created a video where it showed him masked and pointing a rifle at the victim, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
A screenshot of the video was sent to the victim’s family along with threating messages demanding that they pay $10,000 or the victim’s ears and fingers would be removed, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Homeland Security Investigation agents then located and rescued the victim along with eight other noncitizens who were unharmed.
Salas was arrested on April 14, 2023, and he pled guilty on Aug. 29, 2023, to one count of conspiracy to commit hostage taking.
HSI investigated the case.
Read: Read More