2 men, 1 woman charged in cartel-related kidnapping in St. Paul
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Three people have been charged in connection with a drug cartel-related kidnapping in St. Paul, according to the Ramsey County Attorney's Office.
Erilng Soren Holdahl, 48, Kendra Sue Johnson, 39, and Richar Sanchez Mujica, 30, are each charged with two counts of felonious kidnapping, according to the Ramsey County Attorney's Office.
Holdahl was also charged with first-degree possession of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Mujica has had a warrant out for his arrest since August 2024, after he failed to appear in court for DWI charges, charging documents say. Then, in December, a confidential source informed law enforcement that Mujica was involved with drug trafficking.
Police say they executed a search warrant to track Mujica's phone and put out a warrant for his arrest on Monday. The complaint states police located Mujica when his phone pinged in the area of the 700 block of Payne Avenue between 7:45 p.m. on Monday night and 6 a.m. on Tuesday.
On Tuesday morning, law enforcement learned that a cooperating defendant working with a Mexican drug trafficking organization received information from their contact in Mexico that someone in the organization had killed a person nicknamed "Barney," who owed the organization money.
The defendant went on to tell police that the drug trafficking organization had learned "Barney" had not been killed yet and was asking for help in torturing and killing him, charging documents say. The contact in Mexico then told the cooperating defendant to meet Mujica and to bring chains and weights and "to help take care of it."
Police say they saw Mujica get into a Chrysler Town and Country minivan around 9:50 a.m. on Tuesday. Officers say they followed the vehicle to a location in Minneapolis where Mujica got out and manipulated something behind the driver's seat for an extended period of time.
Then, a man got into the vehicle and Mujica drove to St. Paul, charging documents say. Officers then initiated a traffic stop at Phalen Boulevard near the Edgerton Street Bridge, where officers arrested Mujica.
Officers say they found what they suspected to be a bag of methamphetamine in Mujica's sweatshirt pocket at the time of his arrest. Officers say they also recovered a stolen Walther 9 mm handgun behind the driver's seat.
According to police, Mujica admitted that the baggie found in his sweatshirt was methamphetamine and he occasionally uses it. However, Mujica went on to say the cartel doesn't let him handle drugs, and that he owes his bosses in Mexico 10 lbs, so now he does collections, charging documents say.
Police say Mujica told them that he was sent by the cartel to make a collection for a drug debt at the address on Payne Avenue. At this point in the interview process, police say Mujica gave officers his phone to look through which led them to locate a photo of a person who appeared to be chained or handcuffed.
The photo was then sent to a Mexican phone number via WhatsApp, police say.
Charging documents say Mujica denied having seen anyone at the address handcuffed. He denied any involvement with the kidnapping, claiming he just sat at the location because he was told to.
At 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, police breached the door to the shop located on Payne Avenue and requested the occupants to come out. That's when police say "Barney," Holdahl and Johnson exited the building, the complaint states.
Police say "Barney" was shoeless and had difficulty walking, with a handcuff still attached to his right wrist. Officers also noted that his hand was very swollen and said that he appeared to be in a lot of pain. "Barney" was transported to a nearby hospital where it was later discovered that his bottom teeth were loose, likely sustained during the assault.
Holdahl and Johnson were arrested after exiting the building.
When searched, police say they found what they believed to be a bag of methamphetamine on Johnson.
"Barney" told police that he had a pending drug case in Hennepin County, charging documents say. "Barney" then told police that a friend said he knew of a lawyer who could help him, sending him to the Payne Avenue address.
"Barney" said he was greeted by an older white woman who walked him down a hallway, where a man with a rifle or shotgun was waiting for him, charging documents say. Another man then hit "Barney" on the head with a heavy object while a third man repeatedly hit and kicked him, police say.
"Barney" was then taken to the basement where he was handcuffed and tied to a post, charging documents say. At this point, "Barney" began to go in and out of consciousness. When he regained consciousness, Johnson approached him, making small talk and offering him water, police say.
The complaint states Johnson began to look for the keys to his handcuffs when Holdahl came down the stairs and broke his handcuffs, telling him to leave because a SWAT team had just entered the building.
"Barney" denied being an informant and stealing from the men who kidnapped and assaulted him, charging documents say.
Johnson is engaged to Holdahl, who owns the shop located at the Payne Avenue address where "Barney" was found handcuffed. She told police sometimes they spend the night at the shop, but that she had nothing to do with the kidnapping.
When talking with police, Holdahl admitted that he had been in contact with someone in Mexico named Rana, who alleged that Holdahl owed him $10,000, leading Holdahl to deal drugs sent to his shop to pay off the debt. Holdahl told police that "he was being forced into stuff he didn't want to be involved in," according to charging documents.
Holdahl told police that six guys wearing masks and armed with "machine guns" arrived in a minivan and brought "Barney" to the basement. Holdahl claims he wasn't there when the group arrived but a friend of his was, charging documents say.
Holdahl claims that he and Johnson didn't return to the shop until 9 or 10 p.m. Tuesday when they discovered "Barney" tied up in the basement. Charging documents say Holdahl wasn't able to identify any of the six men who brought "Barney" to the shop besides Mujica.
A surveillance camera near the Payne Avenue address showed several men coming and going from the shop at various times. Analysis of the surveillance camera footage did not show six different men wearing masks or carrying "machine guns" as Holdahl claimed, charging documents say.
If convicted, Holdahl, Johnson and Mujica face decades in prison.
