McALLEN, Texas—Two illegal aliens from Mexico joined forces with human smugglers to kidnap and torture unsuspecting illegal immigrants being held at a stash house. Instead of charging the group with hostage taking or kidnapping charges, prosecutors charged them with human smuggling.

Federal authorities this week raided a house in the border city of Mission, where they arrested a group of illegal immigrants as well as Arthur Flores, a U.S citizen, and two illegal aliens from Mexico described as his henchmen. The two henchmen had been tasked with holding the immigrants under threats of violence, court records obtained by Breitbart Texas revealed.

The suspected kidnappers were identified as Nicolas Camargo and his younger brother described as an underage teen.

During questioning by agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Camargo said that he and his brother had crossed illegally on August 14 and were taken to a stash house, where unknown men ordered them to take part in the kidnapping of various illegal immigrants. Carrying various weapons, the gunmen stormed a house in an unknown location and kidnapped about 15 illegal aliens who were taken in three separate cars.

One of the groups went with Camargo and his brother to Mission, Texas, where HSI agents and U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested them days later.

Agents spoke with various illegal immigrants, including some of the kidnapping victims able to escape and get help. They spoke to agents about the torture they endured.

The victims described how Camargo and his brother used stun guns on them and beat them with baseball bats. Flores allegedly held them at gunpoint with a shotgun while they called their families demanding ransom.

This appears to be a common thread among human smuggling stash houses. In May, 2014 Breitbart Texas reported on a stash house in Pharr, Texas, where 35 illegal immigrants were being beaten and their families extorted for ransom. Earlier that year, the story of a house in Houston, Texas, where more than 100 illegal immigrants were being held in inhumane conditions was reported.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award winning journalist with Breitbart Texas you can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.

Kidnapping Aliens