Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

TUCSON, Ariz. – Olegario Lares-De La Rosa, 30, of Mexico, was sentenced last Friday by United States District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps to 18 years in prison. Lares-De La Rosa was convicted of Conspiracy to Commit Hostage Taking, Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit, Transportation of Illegal Aliens and Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition, after a jury trial in February 2023.

Ivan Heriberto Borboa-Ruiz, 28, of Mexico, Lares-De La Rosa’s co-conspirator, was sentenced last Thursday to 14 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Hostage Taking and Illegal Alien in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition.

On April 6, 2022, Homeland Security Investigations received a tip from an individual in New York who reported that his two cousins were being held captive and that their captors had demanded a $16,000 ransom for their release. The two victim cousins were undocumented non-citizens who were part of a group of six individuals abducted in the desert by three armed men after the group crossed illegally into the United States. One of the victims was kicked in the head when he refused to cooperate. The armed captors confiscated all of their cellphones and then transported the six captives to a house where they were held for multiple days in a room where the door was screwed shut each night to prevent escape. The two victim cousins were the final hostages to have the ransom paid.

Borboa-Ruiz made the phone calls arranging for the ransom and hostage exchange. On April 8, 2022, Borboa-Ruiz arrived at the location of the money exchange in Tucson, Arizona and met with two undercover agents. Borboa-Ruiz, who was armed with a loaded 9mm pistol, received and counted the $16,000 in cash twice to confirm the ransom had been paid, made a phone call stating “they were good,” and that the two victims could be released. Lares-De La Rosa was parked a short distance away with the two victims. Shortly after the money exchange, Lares-De La Rosa directed them to get out of the car. The victims walked single file to the vehicle where the ransom had been paid. As the two victims reached the undercover vehicle, Borboa-Ruiz was immediately arrested by law enforcement.

While agents were arresting Borboa-Ruiz, Lares-De La Rosa sped away, leading agents on a high-speed vehicle chase. During the pursuit, Lares-De La Rosa threw a loaded 9mm pistol out of the window and bailed out of the vehicle. He then fled into a residential neighborhood, concealing himself in several private backyards before being arrested.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation in this case, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Marana Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney, Serra M. Tsethlikai, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER: CR-22-0974-TUC-JGZ
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-087_Lares-De La Rosa