SAN DIEGO (CN) - Already charged with dealing cocaine, a Mexican man was charged Tuesday with conspiring to hold a U.S. citizen hostage for ransom. Eric Brando Pulido Muzquiz, of Tijuana, was arrested by the FBI on Nov. 6, and Mexican officials rescued the hostage the next day, federal prosecutors said.
Mexican drug cartels have increasingly resorted to kidnapping for ransom. Hostages are often killed whether the ransom is paid or not.
The U.S. Attorney's Office says Pulido and others held a hostage from Nov. 4 until Nov. 7. Prosecutors did not say where the hostage was kidnapped.
Pulido had been previously charged with dealing cocaine. His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 4.
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