Feds: U.S. Group Kidnapped Arizona Man for Mexican Cartel

A group of people kidnapped an Arizona man and planned to cross him into Mexico in the trunk of a car. The plot exemplifies the ongoing ruthless cartel activity that continues to reign along the U.S.-Mexico Border.

Court documents from the criminal case against Roxanne Marie “Rocky” Carpenter and three other men reveal how the group kidnapped an Arizona man and planned to cross him into Mexico to turn him over to a Mexican drug cartel. The kidnapping took place on March 29, when Phoelix “Loki”  Begay, Brian Edward Meyers and Fausto  “Zombie” Velazquez kidnapped a man identified only as AG or “Ghost”. The kidnapping crew handcuffed and shacked the kidnapped man placed him in the trunk of a car. 

In the case that was first reported by the Arizona Daily Star, Carpenter drove the vehicle across an international port of entry in Naco, Arizona, however, AG managed to jump out of the vehicle before the vehicle crossed into Mexico; his captors did not notice. Carpenter took the vehicle to two cartel members who were going to pay for the kidnapping with cash and drugs. 

Cartel gunmen in Mexico wanted to get their hands on Ghost for the alleged theft of drugs. Carpenter along with the three other men planned the kidnapping as a way to make quick money and obtain drugs. Since the kidnapping, the three men connected pleaded guilty before Carpenter took the case to trial and lost. This week, U.S. District Judge Cindy K. Jorgenson sentenced Carpenter to 14 years in prison. Just one day after her sentence, Carpenter filed an appeal.  

While court records do not identify the drug cartel responsible for the kidnapping, the area just south of Naco, Arizona, has been described by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as being under the control of the Sinaloa Cartel. As Breitbart Texas reported, the criminal organization known as the Sinaloa Cartel continues to be identified as the most powerful drug cartel worldwide.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and Stephen K. Bannon.  You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.

Brandon Darby is managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and Stephen K. Bannon. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.