On January 6, 2012, rumors began to spread of him being kidnapped, but it was later confirmed that the Mexican authorities had arrested him outside his home in
Monterrey after two kidnapping suspects were detained and confessed his involvement in the kidnappings. After a couple of days, Ortiz's family members decided to report on his disappearance, but the authorities first refused to comment on the incident. Upon his arrest, Ortiz was charged for working with a gang responsible for at least 20 kidnappings, among them the abduction of
Gloria Trevi's husband in 2011. The 35-year-old Ortiz admitted to have picked out two rich people for the kidnapping ring, since his job was to select wealthy families from his same social circle. The gang allegedly demanded around 1 million
pesos ($59,500 US dollars [Nov. 2015]) for the release of each victim. He later confessed that the kidnapping ring was working for the infamous criminal organization known as the
Gulf Cartel. Reports from the government of
Nuevo León mentioned that Ortiz had an addiction to
cocaine. In fact,
La Jornada newspaper mentions that Ortiz became part of the kidnapping ring due to his drug addiction. Ortiz also confessed to have experienced "financial problems" after he was banned for playing professional football for two years after consuming illegal substances.
George W. Grayson, a drug war analyst and expert of Mexican politics, said that Ortiz's arrest shows the "possible ubiquity of organized crime [in Mexico]." He was sent to a prison in
Cadereyta, Nuevo León. He was found guilty of at least three kidnappings and was sentenced to 75 years in prison on 8 January 2019. ==References==