Burning Atlanta

You couldn't pay me to go to that cesspool. Why haul dope or people when all you have to do is kidnap a rich Norte Americano?

Baghdad south.

Well-organized kidnappers are targeting Americans who visit tourist towns in Mexico.

The State Department says US citizens should be extra careful.

And for Americans living near the border, even their own backyard may not be as safe as they once thought.

The FBI says last year, the number of San Diego County residents kidnapped and held for ransom in Mexico more than doubled.

"The brutality that is inflicted on some of these people is unconscionable," FBI agent Keith Slotter told CNN.

A San Diego man CNN says was a victim talked with a reporter."They sliced my tongue." He said. He says kidnappers beat him with the butt of a rifle and tortured him for two weeks.

"We've had a number of cases recently where the abductors have come north of the border into the United States, and they've kidnapped Americans in this country and then brought them back south."

The victim who talked with CNN was visiting Tijuana when 15 to 20 men busted into a home there. They dressed like police officers, with black masks and automatic rifles. His family paid the kidnappers, but the kidnappers didn't let him go.

"We didn't know at that point if they had already killed him or if they were gonna ask for another ransom."

"So, so they wanted MORE money? Yeah, they wanted more money."

The FBI says kidnappers taget victims they think can afford a ransom. People driving expensive cars, shopping at nice stores or doing business in Mexico would be top targets.