Man Abandoned By Human Smugglers Only To Be Kidnapped In Texas

A man from Honduras was the unfortunate victim of back-to-back crimes after entering the United States.

The 21-year-old man originally paid human smugglers to bring him across the U.S.-Mexico border. Along the way, the man was sold to another group of smugglers and moved from stash house to stash house once he was brought to the U.S.

The man was later abandoned in a remote part of South Texas "due to a perceived law enforcement threat or presence," according to a statement from the Rosenberg Police Department.

He wandered around for multiple days before finding a gas station and asking a person for help.

Unknown to the victim, the person who "helped" the man called two family members, who were also involved in human smuggling.

The pair, whom authorities later identified as Amy Regalado and Ricado Mejia of Falfurrias, Texas, kidnapped the Honduran man from the gas station and said they would only let him go if his family paid a $6,000 ransom.

The man's aunt agreed to meet Regalado and Mejia at Brazos Town Center in Rosenberg on Thursday, July 15, to make the trade. The deal fell through and the duo hit the man's aunt with their SUV before speeding off, KPRC reported.

Authorities found Regalado, Mejia, and the man nearly 100 miles away from Rosenberg in Victoria County the next day. Regalado and Mejia were both arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault.

"It is shameful in this day and age, in a country that leads the free world, to have people bought and sold like animals. The most significant aspect of this tragedy is that this young man escaped, reached out for help, and was returned to captivity. This is the definition of evil," the Rosenberg Police Department said in a statement.