Man gets 38 years for holding migrants at gunpoint, extorting them

McALLEN, Texas ( ValleyCentral ) — A McAllen man was sentenced on multiple counts of hostage-taking, smuggling and weapon charges after holding migrants at gunpoint and extorting them, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.

Heriberto Mendez-Lozano was found guilty on all counts of hostage-taking, human smuggling and possession of a firearm by a felon.

During his trial in September of 2022, evidence revealed that Mendez-Lozano was working with Lorenzo Campbell and Heriberto Aguirre to smuggle migrants near the Rio Grande into the United States.

According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mendez-Lozano and his partners were hiding the five migrants against their will at a location in Donna, Texas.

At the location, Mendez-Lozano and Aguirre pointed their guns at the heads and ribs of the hostages.

The release added, they also threatened the hostages and forced them to call their family members to demand money for their release.

An investigation led authorities to the location in Donna where they arrested Mendez-Lozano, who had an active warrant for aggravated robbery, along with Campbell. Authorities also rescued the hostages from the scene.

Aguirre was also arrested at a nearby hotel.

“He and others asserted control over the migrants and held them at gunpoint, subjecting them to trauma and terror over the course of several days. They used fear to force the migrants’ families to pay money for their release,” said Alamdar S. Hamdani, U.S. Attorney.

U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez ordered Mendez-Lozano to serve 30 years in federal prison for hostage-taking and human smuggling. He is also ordered to serve an additional 13 years for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

From those 13 years, only 8 years will be served consecutively to the 30 years, totaling 38 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Mendez-Lozano is pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons Facility.

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