Mexican authorities reported Monday that one of the leaders of the Los Mexicles gang had fled, in an armed attack in a prison in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, on Sunday.
This is Ernesto Alfredo Pinon de la Cruz, the net, a high-ranking figure in the gang. “He is the origin of everything,” said the Secretary of Defense, Luis Cresencio Sandoval, at a press conference.
The Secretary of Security, Rosa Icela Rodríguez, pointed out that other prisoners who escaped also belong to said gang, which she associated with the Caborca Cartel. According to the official, in addition, twenty-five inmates escaped in the attack.
The authorities also confirmed that the number of victims of the attack rose to 19, including 10 prison security and custody officials and seven prisoners.
For his part, the Secretary of Defense said that the soldiers and state police officers who retook control of the prison found 10 “VIP” cells equipped with televisions and other amenities. One even had a safe full of cash.
Inside the prison institution. Cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl and marijuana were also found.
The Mexicles have been one of the main gangs in Juárez for decades and for many years were known to work with the Sinaloa Cartel. The Caborca Cartel had been led by drug trafficker Rafael Caro Quintero, who was recaptured in July.
At about 7 a.m., several armored vehicles arrived at the jail and gunmen opened fire on the guards, the Chihuahua prosecutor’s office said.
Violence is common in Mexican prisons, even in some where authorities maintain only nominal control. Clashes regularly break out between inmates of rival gangs, who in places like Juárez serve as proxies for drug cartels.
[Con información de AP]
Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channel Youtube and activate notifications, or follow us on social networks: Facebook, Twitter and instagram.