Alleged Mexican drug boss wanted in kidnapping case is charged in San Diego

A woman said to be a boss in a drug trafficking ring has been charged with taking a courier hostage in Sinaloa, Mexico, and extorting ransom money from the victim’s mother in San Diego.

Maria Dolores Romero Sandoval was arrested Saturday; she appeared in federal court Thursday for a bail hearing.

The victim, who has not been identified, was working for Romero’s organization when he or she picked up drugs in San Diego earlier this year, delivered them to New Jersey, then returned with $21,000, according to the complaint filed in San Diego federal court.

On May 16, the victim was stopped by U.S. authorities and the $21,000 seized. A man then contacted the victim on June 27 with instructions to travel to Culiacán, Mexico, to discuss money owed to the organization, according to the complaint.

On July 3, the victim and a friend — who is not involved in the drug trade — crossed from San Diego into Tijuana and flew to Culiacán.

Both are U.S. citizens.

Once there, they were taken to a house where gunmen took their clothing, wallets and phones and bound their hands and feet, according to the complaint.

Romero arrived at the home the next day and promised the friend that he or she would not be hurt. For several days, the victim was taken into a separate room to make ransom calls to his or her mother in San Diego, threatening to kill the victim unless $100,000 was paid.

The mother contacted the FBI, which logged more than 50 phone calls from the kidnappers between July 4 and 11.

The hostage-takers also threatened to cut up the victim and mail him or her back to the mother and to kidnap more of the mother’s children if the ransom wasn’t paid.

At one point, the kidnappers took photos of the victim appearing to be tortured and sent them to the mother’s Facebook account. The photos showed the victim bloodied, bound with duct tape, with a knife at the throat and ear, pliers around the fingers and a gun to the head. The FBI later learned the photos had been staged.

That same day, the mother drove to Tijuana at the direction of the kidnappers and left a $12,400 payment. The kidnappers told her that it was not enough to gain her child’s freedom.

She made another payment of $12,190 a few days later in Tijuana. The mother handed the cash to a woman who left in a Honda registered to Romero, the complaint said.

The victim and friend were released after that, but Romero reportedly told the victim that $50,000 was still owed.

Davis writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune

kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com