Drug-related kidnappings on the rise in Phoenix

A gun lies in the driveway of a Phoenix area home where a suspect fled police. The suspect was caught, along with four others, in the kidnapping of Juan Francisco Perez-Torres.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Phoenix Police Det. Gina Garcia helps suspect Nestor Partida Morales to his feet after an operation to rescue Juan Francisco Perez-Torres, whose ransom was $150,000 and 50 pounds of marijuana.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

A suspect in the kidnapping of Juan Francisco Perez-Torres is held in a police car as Phoenix detectives search for clues to Perez-Torres’ location. The suspect was one of two men who fled from a pickup truck after a high-speed pursuit by police.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Five suspects in the kidnapping of Juan Francisco Perez-Torres are placed in separate interrogation rooms at the Phoenix police station.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Phoenix police detectives strategize in preparation for a sting operation against Juan Francisco Perez-Torres’ kidnappers. Perez-Torres’ partner, Andres, waits in a room for a call from the abductors.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Phoenix Police Det. Arnulfo “Sal” Salgado elicits a laugh from Det. Gina Garcia after the arrests of suspects in the kidnapping of Juan Francisco Perez-Torres.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)