Three Rio Grande Valley men were sentenced on multiple counts of taking hostages, human smuggling and weapons charges, according to U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani.

Hamdani said 26-year-old Heriberto Mendez-Lozano was found guilty on all counts after a three-day trial. His co-conspirators, 23-year-old Lorenzo Campbell from Pharr, and 25-year-old Heriberto Aguirre from Mission, were also sentenced for their part as well.

Mendez-Lozano was sentenced to 30 years for committing hostage taking and human smuggling and 13 years for being a felon in possession of a firearm, which must be served in part consecutively to the other sentence imposed. The total 38-year sentence will be immediately followed by three years of supervised release, according to Hamdani.

According to Hamdani, Campbell was previously sentenced to 18 months in federal prison and Aguirre was sentenced to 20 years. Both men will be required to serve two years of supervised release.

Hamdani said additional evidence was heard at the court hearing that detailed how the "violent threats and coercion of the vulnerable migrant victims has had a lasting impact on their lives."

The jury heard evidence that on Sept. 29, 2022, Mendez-Lozano, along with Campbell and Aguirre, were engaged in smuggling migrants from near the Rio Grande further into the United States, according to Hamdani.

Hamdani said on the same date, the group was harboring five migrants and instead of transporting them further into the U.S., all three men held the migrants against their will at a location in Donna.

Mendez-Lozano and Aguirre brandished firearms and held guns to the migrants heads and ribs and forced them to call family members to demand money for their release, according to Hamdani.

Hamdani said the investigation led authorities to the Donna location where Mendez-Lozano was arrested and had a pending warrant for aggravated robbery, along with Campbell. Authorities also rescued the migrants, and Aguirre was arrested at a nearby motel.

Mendez-Lozano will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.