Benjamin Leyva, 29, and Irbin Luna Ortiz, 25, made their first appearance in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque Friday after their arrest Wednesday on Interstate 40 near Milan, KOB-TV is reporting on its Web site.

A Guatemalan national named Lorenzo Perez-Lopez, whose age has been given as either 17 or 18, was in the Ford van that had been tracked by the FBI in Albuquerque and was taken into FBI care Wednesday evening, Special Agent Bill Elwell told the Journal earlier this week.

The FBI in Albuquerque had been tipped by federal agents in Montgomery, Ala., who learned from local police of an alleged abduction plot, in which the young Guatemalan had been brought to the Alabama city on Tuesday at the request of the young man's brother, according to a story by The Associated Press.

The men allegedly demanded more than the $2,200 that had been agreed upon to cover the cost of the teen-ager's transport -- a price that escalated to $6,000, the AP reported.

When the brother said he was unable to pay more, the men allegedly abducted the teen and threatened to kill him if the brother didn't pay, according to the AP.

The suspects are expected to return to Alabama next week where they face possible federal kidnapping charges, the AP reported.

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