3 Sentenced For Cartel Kidnapping Of 2 Women In San Diego County

SAN DIEGO, CA — Three people who kidnapped, threatened and assaulted two San Diego County women on behalf of a Mexican drug cartel have been sentenced to prison, the San Diego County District Attorney's Office said Tuesday.

The defendants, who believed the women stole from the Sinaloa Cartel, were previously indicted by a grand jury for their violent acts, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Victor Medrano, 44, and Eliceo Flores, 36, were sentenced to life in prison without parole, and Emily Gonzalez, 33, was sentenced to 24 years, eight months in prison. A fourth defendant, Julie Soto, 32, is scheduled for trial in December.

Medrano, Flores, and Gonzalez broke into the victims' El Cajon home and forced them to leave at gunpoint, according to the District Attorney's Office. The trio took the women to a house in Lemon Grove and held them for ransom before taking the victims to Medrano's home in Chula Vista.

Once inside Medrano's home, the indictment said Medrano, Flores and Gonzalez drugged the victims, threatened them with torture, and then assaulted them.

"Drug cartels are a serious and violent threat to our community and their criminal networks should not and will not be allowed to operate in our county," San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a statement. "Let this case be an example of the type of justice that will be brought forth by our dedicated gang prosecutors who work with our law enforcement partners and who risk their lives to deliver justice on behalf of victims to protect the community."

Flores, Medrano and Soto were also indicted for a variety of conspiracies to sell large amounts of fentanyl, meth, heroin and ghost guns on behalf of the cartel, according to the District Attorney's Office. Additionally, Flores and Medrano were indicted for conspiracies to commit another kidnapping, robbery, possession of stolen vehicles, and passing more than $10,000 in fraudulent checks.