Arizona man convicted of transporting, holding noncitizens hostage following HSI investigation

TUCSON, Ariz. — Last week, a federal jury found a local area man guilty of conspiracy to commit hostage taking, conspiracy to transport illegal aliens for profit, and two counts of transportation of an illegal alien for profit, following a probe by Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) Arizona with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Marana Police Department.

Olegario Lares-De La Rosa, 29, of Mexico, previously pleaded guilty to felon in possession of a firearm on June 9, 2022. Sentencing is scheduled for May 4 before United States District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps.

The investigation in this case began on April 6, 2022, when special agents with HSI Tucson received a tip from an individual in New York. The tipster told HSI special agents that he had received a call from his cousins — undocumented noncitizens — who said they were being held captive and that their captors demanded $16,000 for their release.

The cousins were detained by three armed men after they illegally entered the United States. The armed captors took the victims’ cellphones and transported them to a house and held them captive for several days. Each evening, the door to their room was screwed shut so they could not escape. On April 8, 2022, Lares-De La Rosa moved the cousins from the house to the place the $16,000 payment was supposed to take place.

That same day, Lares-De La Rosa’s co-conspirator, Borboa-Ruiz, met with undercover agents in Tucson to collect the $16,000. After counting the money, Borboa-Ruiz made a call stating that they were “good.” Less than a minute later, the cousins exited a black Hyundai driven by Lares-De La Rosa. Borboa-Ruiz was immediately arrested.

While the agents were arresting Borboa-Ruiz, Lares-De La Rosa sped away in the Hyundai, leading agents on a high-speed vehicle chase. During the pursuit, Lares-De La Rosa threw his 9mm pistol from the car. He then bailed out of the moving vehicle, narrowly missing being struck. Lares-De La Rosa ran into a wash and through a residential neighborhood before he was arrested.

On February 2, Borboa-Ruiz, 28, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit hostage taking and illegal alien in possession of a firearm. The judge will sentence Borboa-Ruiz April 25.

Assistant United States Attorneys Serra M. Tsethlikai and Jennifer Berman, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.

HSI encourages members of the public to report crimes or suspicious activity by calling the HSI tip line at 866-347-2423. The tip line is manned 24 hours a day.

HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.