FIVE DUE IN COURT IN CASE OF UNDERCOVER OFFICER'S KIDNAPPING

Court appearances are scheduled today for five people accused of
participating in a drug deal in which an undercover officer was kidnapped
at gunpoint.

Among the group was allegedly a member of the Mexican Mafia prison gang,
Gilbert Sanchez, whom authorities said held the officer at gunpoint in an
apparent robbery attempt. The agent, a member of an anti-drug and gang task
force, was not identified, but sustained only minor injuries and was back
on the job today.

The incident unfolded in broad daylight - about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday - in the
parking lot of a business at South Zarzamora and Southwest Military Drive,
said Javier Pena, head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency in San Antonio.

"This was an actual kidnapping which was going to result in the killing of
a task force agent," Pena said.

But the kidnapping was foiled when the officer fought with his captors and
San Antonio police helped foil the getaway, Pena said.

"If not for this, we would have lost a task force agent," he said. "It
shows that the streets are getting more and more violent."

The DEA said it doesn't believe that the suspects knew the person they were
dealing cocaine with was an undercover agent.

Authorities said Sanchez was wearing a bulletproof vest and rubber gloves.
Two other men and two women were in two separate cars. The men also were
wearing rubber gloves, authorities said.

The other suspects were identified in court as John Michael Pope,
Christopher Sanchez, Teresa Ortega and Nicole Koenig.

According to court documents, Pope was waiting in one of the cars and had a
loaded AK-47.