Death Toll Rises To 19 In Mexican Border Town From Prison Attack: Authorities reported that a prison attack in Juarez, Mexico, left 19 people dead and allowed a cartel boss and twenty other inmates to escape.
Defense Minister Luis Crescencio Sandoval claimed at a news conference that an armed gang attacked the prison and the municipal police station practically simultaneously while riding in armored vehicles.
Authorities claimed that the incident on Sunday morning happened as people were getting ready to visit on New Year’s Day. Initially, they claimed that at least 14 people had died, but on Monday, Sandoval increased that number to 19—10 guards, seven detainees, and two assailants.
Ernesto Alfredo Pinon de la Cruz, also known as “El Neto,” was one of the 25 prisoners who escaped due to the assault. Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodriguez stated during the press conference that Pinon is a key gunman for the “Los Mexicles” cartel, which has its headquarters in Juarez.
To keep the turmoil under control, federal authorities were contacted. According to Rodriguez, who criticized the Chihuahua state administration, they later discovered a “VIP zone” with drugs and cash within the state-run prison.
Because federal authorities cannot assist in certain situations, Rodriguez said, “that is the state’s job.”
She continued by saying that state officials had not asked that any violent inmates, like “El Neto,” be moved from the overcrowded prison to a higher-security facility.
In reaction to the attack, state officials will “totally clean out the penal system,” according to state prosecutor Roberto Javier Duarte, who also promised that those found guilty of corruption would face legal action.
Later on Monday, Chihuahua officials requested the affordable transfer of an unknown number of prisoners to federal facilities, according to a statement from Interior Minister Adan Augusto Lopez.
One of the enormous numbers of deaths from prison attacks in Mexico in recent years was caused by the incident on Sunday.
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