Honduran Migrants Charged in Kidnapping and Ransom Scheme in California

Federal prosecutors allege the men held migrants for ransom, demanding payment from their families in the U.S..

Darwin Jeovany Palma Pastrana and Eduar Isrrael Sauceda Nuñez, both Honduran nationals, are accused of kidnapping migrants and demanding ransom from their families.
The scheme involved smuggling migrants into the U.S. and holding them in 'stash' houses in Phoenix, El Paso, and Albuquerque.
Palma and Sauceda allegedly threatened the families of the kidnapped migrants, demanding payments of up to $1,500 for their release.
Sauceda was arrested during a ransom exchange in Los Angeles, while Palma was detained in New Mexico; Sauceda remains a fugitive.
Authorities discovered 57 migrants in an Albuquerque stash house and seized large sums of cash and firearms during the investigation.