Man Kidnapped in Laredo, Texas & Driven to Mexico Had Stolen $50,000 from Cartel Del Noreste

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

Erik Tadeo Ramirez "bragged" about stealing $50,000 from the Cartel Del Noreste and was kidnapped in Laredo and taken into Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, states an arrest affidavit filed in federal court. 

FBI agents arrested Jonathan Cavriales on the charge of the kidnapping. Meanwhile, the whereabouts of Erik Tadeo Ramirez remains unknown, authorities said.

Timeline of Kidnapping

3400 block of Queretaro Loop, Laredo.

   

Location of the kidnapping and the US/Mexican border.

11:00PM CST March 23, 2023

Ramirez was at a party at a residence on the 3400 block of Queretaro Loop in Las Americas neighborhood in south Laredo, Texas. “Witnesses stated that Ramirez also bragged that Ramirez stole approximately $50,000 from the Cartel Del Noreste,” states the affidavit. 

Witnesses overheard Ramirez telling a female on the phone that he was in Laredo and was not in danger or afraid of her because he was in the United States, the affidavit states. Ramirez gave the female his location on Queretaro.

Example of a crew cab Dodge Ram truck.

12:45AM CST March 24

A blue four-door Dodge Ram truck arrived at the location on Queretaro. Two to three masked men armed with firearms exited the vehicle and assaulted Ramirez. Then, at gunpoint, they forced Ramirez into the truck, authorities said.

The border crossing that Ramirez was taken across in Mexico. Cavriales was arrested three days later attempting to cross back into the US in the same truck.

1:09AM CST

The Ram truck, with license plate PRT-1578, then crossed into Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico via the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge. Authorities determined that the vehicle was registered to Jonathan Cavriales’ mother out of the 200 block of Palo de Rosa Loop by the Laredo Ranchettes area, the affidavit states.

A video recording showed a male with blood on his face opening the front passenger door of the truck while the vehicle was in motion. The male was attempting to exit the truck but was pulled back inside, states the affidavit.

They then bypassed the bridge attendant and drove straight into Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, according to court documents.

11:00AM CST

The victim’s sister and girlfriend called the police to report him missing. Cavriales’ mother stated that she received a call from Cavriales’ grandmother, who lives in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. The grandmother told the mother that Cavriales was sleeping at her home in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico and that the Ram truck was parked outside her home. The grandmother further told the mother that Cavriales did not look well and that something was wrong with him, court documents state.

1:30AM CST March 25

FBI special agents and task force officers conducted a knock and talk at the residence on Queretaro. Erik's girlfriend helped authorities verify via a mobile app that had last pinged him at the 3400 block of Queretaro during that evening and night of March 23. Two individuals stated they witnessed Ramirez being kidnapped by two to three armed individuals. A description was given of the blue Ram truck, authorities said. 

The only comment that the FBI has made on the kidnapping so far was, “the FBI relentlessly pursues every option when it comes to protecting the American people, and that doesn't change when they find themselves in danger across the border. The FBI follows all cases with the same vigor and commitment to the process," the agency statement said. This indicates that Erik would possibly be a US citizen.

2:15AM CST March 27 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers detained Jonathan Cavriales when he crossed into Laredo via the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge.

In a post-arrest interview, Cavriales stated he drove the Ram truck into Mexico in the early morning of March 24 with a kidnapped victim, who was identified as Ramirez. Cavriales added that three other people also took part in the kidnapping, according to court documents.

“Cavriales stated that he was aware that the victim had stolen approximately $50,000 from (the) Cartel Del Noreste,” states the affidavit. Cavriales went before US Magistrate Judge Diana Song Quiroga who denied him bond on the charge of kidnapping.

Ramirez was still listed as missing, according to police.

Cavriales is set to appear in court again on April 4 for a pretrial hearing and material witness detention hearings.

Sources My San Antonio, Univision