'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAX/xAAVAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACBf/aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAk0Ckf//EAB4QAAEEAQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAgMEERQhUYGR/9oACAEBAAE/AIalqR1wiOuxglMUBOSSBs5x7z4tHwv/xAAWEQADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAlH/2gAIAQIBAT8AWn//xAAYEQACAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQNCUf/aAAgBAwEBPwCR1w//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The 2007 kidnapping of Eduardo Valseca resulted in no charges owing to the corruption within law enforcement in Mexico. However, as time passed, two ex-Chilean guerrillas Ricardo Palma Salamanca and Raul Julio Escobar Poblete were suspected of their involvement in the high-profile abduction case.
Palma and Escobar were part of the Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front (FPMR) before they formed the notorious duo behind Senator Jaime Guzmán's murder in 1991. After that, the two settled in San Miguel de Allende with aliases and carried out a kidnap-for-profit trade in Mexico, per the Los Angeles Times.
The Dateline NBC episode titled The Ranch showcases the horrific details of Eduardo Valseca's kidnapping as it re-aired on NBC on July 5, 2024, at 9 pm EST. The official synopsis reads:
Trending
"The Valseca siblings' lives are changed when their father is taken hostage in an orchestrated abduction."
The upcoming episode 25 of season 28 was originally aired on March 20, 2020.
Who were Eduardo Valseca's alleged kidnappers?
Ricardo Palma Salamanca
Ricardo Palma Salamanca was born in Santiago de Chile on July 1, 1969. He was part of the Young Communists of Chile since 1985 after which he joined the Rodriguista Militia in 1986. He became part of the Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front (FPMR) in the late 1980s and rose the ranks to become one of the cadres.
Palma was popularly known as El Negro or Rafael within the Chilean guerilla organization. Together with Raúl Escobar Poblete or Emilio, he took down the UDI senator Jaime Guzmán. Palma orchestrated the murders of Luis Fontaine and Víctor Valenzuela Montecinos.
Palma was arrested by the Investigative Police (PDI) and put on a life sentence. However, he broke free from the Santiago High Security Prison in a hijacked Bell 206 helicopter with three other companions in December 1996. The operation was popularly named the Flight of Justice in the media. He later settled in San Miguel de Allende under the alias of Esteban Solis Tamayo.
Raul Julio Escobar Poblete
Raul Julio Escobar Poblete was born on October 17, 1963 in Santiago de Chile. Escobar was the son of the sports journalist Mariano Escobar González. He joined the Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front (FPMR) in 1987 and together with Palma, they became the operational unit of the force.
He allegedly masterminded the assassination of Jaime Guzmán following which he was part of the abduction of Cristián Edwards of the Edwards family, owners of the El Mercurio newspaper, in 1991. Escobar was the head of command of the Vuelo de Justicia or Flight of Justice operation.
He was a suspect in the abduction of Washington Olivetto after his prison break before he settled in San Miguel de Allende as Ramón Alberto Guevara Valencia.
Where are Ricardo Palma Salamanca and Raul Julio Escobar Poblete now?
Episode 25 of Dateline's season 28 showcases the high-profile kidnapping of Eduardo Valesca. Palma and Escobar were suspected to be the brains behind the act considering that their operations in San Miguel coincided with the timeline of the events in Eduardo Valseca's kidnapping.
The pair allegedly maintained a good profile in San Miguel and also opened a cafe together. The two fell under suspicion again in 2008 as they abducted a French-American woman in exchange for a ransom of $1 million, per the Los Angeles Times.
The taxi driver who was appointed to deliver a package containing the severed finger of the kidnapped woman alerted police authorities, who then found out the involvement of Raul Julio Escobar Poblete and Ricardo Palma Salamanca. Eduardo Valseca also suspected their involvement in his abduction as he shared:
“They worked like the military. Some did the kidnapping, some guarded the victims, others were in charge of communications.”
Eduardo Valseca further added:
“These Chileans were complete hypocrites. They seemed like anyone else in the town San Miguel de Allende. But they destroyed the lives of many people.”
While Palma and his female partner, Silvia Brzovic, fled to France and took political asylum, Escobar is presently incarcerated and has claimed innocence.
Catch all the details of Eduardo Valseca's kidnapping on Dateline's episode titled The Ranch as it streams on Peacock.
