A Tijuana court sentenced a man identified as Sergio “N” to 50 years in prison for his role in an aggravated kidnapping that took place in August 2014 in the Camino Verde neighborhood.
Sergio and three accomplices lured the victim to a residence in Camino Verde, a working-class colonia in eastern Tijuana. Once inside, the group bound the victim hand and foot and demanded $50,000 USD for his release.
Victim Held for Two Weeks Before Rescue
The victim was held captive for approximately two weeks. His rescue came through a chance encounter: municipal police officers in the area heard him screaming for help from inside the property.
When officers entered, they found the man tied up with a shirt covering his head. The discovery led to Sergio’s arrest, though details on when the other three accomplices were apprehended or whether they have faced sentencing were not included in the report.
A Decade Between Crime and Sentencing
The case took more than a decade to reach a final sentence. Under Mexico’s criminal justice system, aggravated kidnapping carries some of the harshest penalties in the penal code, with sentences that can reach 50 years or more depending on the circumstances.
Kidnapping for ransom remains a serious concern across Baja California. The state’s Fiscalía General del Estado (FGE), or state attorney general’s office, has prosecuted multiple high-profile abduction cases in recent years. Tijuana, as the state’s largest city with a metropolitan population exceeding two million, accounts for a significant share of these cases.
The 50-year sentence is among the longest penalties issued for kidnapping in the region. It sends a clear message about the severity with which courts treat ransom-related abductions, particularly those involving prolonged captivity and multiple perpetrators.
The Camino Verde neighborhood, located in the Delegación La Presa Est area of Tijuana, sits several miles from the U.S. border and is primarily residential. The case was first reported by Jornada BC.