Cuban doctor kidnapped in Mexico freed: "He is now in a safe place."

The Cuban doctor Adrián Pupo Ojeda, who was a victim of kidnapping in Tapachula, Mexico, during his migration journey to the United States, was released by his captors this Saturday and is "in a safe place," according to sources close to him.

The announcement was made in a Facebook post by Dariannis (Dary) Méndez, a close friend of the doctor, who, from the U.S., reported the kidnapping and launched a petition for assistance to pay the ransom demanded by his captors.

Méndez revealed that, thanks to the solidarity and support of family, friends, acquaintances, and others, the money demanded by the kidnappers could be gathered to secure the release of the Cuban doctor.

"Thanks to the Hispanic community, friends, acquaintances, and family, we were able to bring back Adrián Pupo Ojeda together. He is now in a safe place. He will get in touch with everyone in due time through whatever means he chooses, whether it's a live stream or a call. However, I want to express that all those who donated, even if it was just 1 dollar, contributed to us being able to pay the captors and for securing his transport to a safer location until we can bring him to this country," explained Méndez, who resides in the U.S.

"Without you, we wouldn't have been able to achieve this. As your friend, I am profoundly grateful for what you did for him," she expressed.

Daniela Pons, a former classmate of Pupo, informed CubaNet that the doctor sent an audio message to his family using a woman's phone to let them know he was "safe."

"They had taken all his belongings, and he had no other means to communicate," Pons said to the independent news outlet.

According to information from CubaNet, 28-year-old Dr. Pupo left Cuba heading for Mexico with a "coyote" who took him to the city of Tapachula, on the southern border of that country, where he was kidnapped by a criminal gang before continuing his journey north.

The kidnappers contacted the doctor's family in Cuba via a video call from his own cell phone to demand money for his release. The initial amount they demanded was $10,000.

Family and friends managed to gather and send about $5,000, thanks to donations from supportive individuals, but the kidnappers claimed that the amount sent did not reach them directly, but rather to another person, and demanded an additional sum, threatening to torture Pupo if the ransom was not paid in full.

Pupo's parents sent a video to Cuban journalist Mario Pentón, in which they pleaded with the kidnappers to return their son alive.

Pupo is originally from Puerto Padre, graduated as a doctor from the University of Las Tunas, and is the father of a nearly two-year-old boy. He emigrated with the hope of finding better opportunities and providing a more dignified life for his family, especially for his young son.

The Cuban migration crisis has led to an increase in the cases of kidnappings of Cubans in Mexico. Criminal groups are exploiting the route to demand money from the families of immigrants in the United States.