Two charged in failed kidnapping south of Donna

NEAR DONNA — Accusations about stolen drugs led to charges for two men in connection with a kidnapping foiled by U.S. Border Patrol agents Thursday night.

Agents detained Carlos Efren Anzaldua, 25, and Julian Gonzalez Alvarez, 23, for the kidnapping of a man north of Donna Thursday evening.

Blood soaked the clothing of Martin Martinez Ochoa, 42, who suffered several injuries to his head and a stab wound to his left arm, court documents state.

Earlier that night, Martinez said he was driving east of Farm-to-Market 493 on Mile 11 North Road near Donna. He noticed a grey Chevrolet Silverado Z-71 pickup truck pull alongside his vehicle and a man he knows as “Jorge” waved him down.

Martinez told sheriff’s deputies he got out of the truck and was beaten by Jorge and four or five other unidentified men. The group loaded the man into their truck at gunpoint and headed south on FM 493 to Military Highway, where the vehicle apparently struck an irrigation ditch and rolled over.

There, the two abductors ran into a cane field, prompting a five-hour manhunt before both were found and taken into custody, authorities said.

The victim told deputies he had been sent to the United States to set up a crew of men to smuggle drugs into the country, Sheriff Lupe Treviño said Friday. Martinez said his abductors accused him of stealing 600 pounds of marijuana, court documents state.

Investigators believe Anzaldua and Gonzalez kidnapped the victim to take him back to Mexico to tell his bosses why the botched operation failed.

Anzaldua and Gonzalez were arraigned Saturday in Hidalgo County justice court.

Justice of the Peace Gilberto Saenz charged each Gonzalez and Anzaldua with aggravated kidnapping, a first degree felony that carries a maximum sentence of 99 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine upon conviction.

The judge set each man’s bond at $50,000 for the aggravated kidnapping charge.

Martinez, an illegal immigrant, remained in custody at the Hidalgo County Jail on Monday.

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Jared Taylor covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4439.