TIJUANA, MEXICO — A United States resident living in Tijuana has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for his role in a criminal network that lured, deceived, and kidnapped migrants seeking to cross the border into the U.S.

The sentencing follows a series of gruesome crimes committed by the group, which included the reported death of a woman in Tijuana and the disappearance of a man. The individual, who lived in Mexico, allegedly acted as a coordinator, using his knowledge of the region to facilitate the exploitation of vulnerable people.

According to authorities, the criminal operation functioned by targeting migrants who were looking for passage into the United States. The suspects would lure them into their network, where they were subsequently kidnapped. The investigation revealed that the group utilized deception as a primary tactic to gain the trust of those.