SAN DIEGO -- The crime of kidnap and ransom is a growing business in many countries, especially Mexico, and 10News learned that many of the crimes are also happening in San Diego and other cities near the U.S.-Mexico border.

Ransom consultants like Daniel Johnson of ASI said they expect the number of kidnapping cases to double compared to last year.

Johnson said he is receiving more frantic calls for help.

"There are career kidnappers that do this for the money. They have a process, they have an organization, they have a network," said Johnson.

Experts said a crime that was once reserved for third-world countries is now happening in the U.S. -- including San Diego -- with the target being Mexican nationals who have moved to the U.S. in search of safety.

"They're being taken down to the Mexican side of the border to be housed and detained until the kidnapping is resolved," said Johnson.

Phoenix has more incidents than any other city in the world outside of Mexico City, with 370 cases last year alone.

"We're in the eye of the storm. If it doesn't stop here, if we're not able to fix it here and get it turned around, it will go across the nation," said Andy Anderson of the Phoenix Police Department.

10News contacted the Chula Vista Police Department, and a spokesman said they have not seen an increase in kidnappings.

However, Johnson said they have, as these cases are not reported to the police and don't always end well.

"They feel the need to hurt and injure the victim in order to put more pressure in the families to get a higher ransom," said Johnson, who has handled more than 100 cases this year.

California Attorney General Jerry Brown said the federal government has been too obsessed with al-Qaida terrorists to deal with the problem coming from Mexico.

"They forget about another kind of terrorists -- kidnapping terrorists, extortion terrorists," said Brown.

Johnson said there has also been an increase in hoax ransom cases, and he believes the recession is playing a role in those types of cases.