MCALLEN, Texas — A criminal alien with four previous convictions has pleaded guilty to taking part in a kidnapping in this Texas border city, under orders from his cartel bosses in Mexico.
The kidnapping in question took place in January, when, according to court documents obtained by Breitbart Texas, Martin Margarito Casimiro and 17-year-old Silvestre Lopez held Gustavo Burr and Andres Reyes at gunpoint at a north McAllen house, in order to collect money owed to a Mexican drug boss. The kidnapping appears to have been over a $300,000 drug debt. Court records do not identify the Mexican cartel that had ordered the kidnapping.
One of the victims managed to flee and get help when his captors fell asleep. While McAllen police initially made the arrest, Homeland Security Investigations took over Margarito’s case in order to prosecute him in federal court, while Lopez’s case remained in state court. Authorities initially charged Margarito with one count of being an alien in possession of firearms, but as time went on they were able to obtain a superseding indictment charging him with one count of conspiracy to take a hostage, two counts of kidnapping, and the original weapons charge.
At the time of the arrest, police officers seized a Lorcin .25 caliber handgun, a Hipoint .45 caliber and an AR-15, court records revealed.
This week, Margarito went before U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez, where he pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping. He is set for sentencing in August, where he faces a possible life sentence.
During the hearing, Margarito admitted to holding a handgun to one victim’s head as he demanded payment, and further admitted to coordinating the kidnapping.
Margarito, an illegal alien from Camargo Tamaulipas, has been deported at least four times before, court records revealed.
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