The Mexican authorities said that an armed attack on a prison in the border city of Juarez with the United States killed 19 people and escaped 25 prisoners, and allowed the prominent leader of the "Los Mixicles" gang, Ernesto Alfredo Pinon, to escape, who was sentenced to more than 200 years in prison.
Mexican Defense Minister Luis Crescencio Sandoval said, in a press conference on Monday, that an armed group used armored vehicles and launched near-simultaneous attacks on the prison and a local police station.
The authorities said the attack, which occurred on Sunday morning, coincided with preparations for New Year's visits.
When the attack took place, the families of a number of prisoners were waiting to enter the prison to visit their relatives on the occasion of the New Year.
Defense Minister Sandoval said the attack on the Chihuahua state prison killed 10 guards, seven prisoners and two attackers.
"El Nito"
Among the escaped prisoners was Ernesto Alfredo Pinon de la Cruz, also known as "El Nito".
Mexico's Security Minister Rosa Isila Rodriguez told the press conference that Pinon is a senior gunman in the Juarez-based "Los Mexicles" cartel, which is allied with the Juarez drug cartel.
Ernesto Alfredo Piñón de la Cruz, "El Neto", líder de la pandilla Los Mexicles perdio un ojo https://t.co/Hfp6nkbJTR pic.twitter.com/7X6ntlWVdo
— Tulum (@VivaTulum) January 2, 2023
Pinon was sentenced in 2010 to more than 200 years in prison after being accused of kidnapping and murder, according to the Chihuahua State Prosecutor's Office.
The security minister added that the federal authorities were summoned to control the disturbances in the prison, and said that the authorities later found a "VIP area" in the prison containing drugs and money.
Mexican Attorney General Robert Javier Duarte said Monday in a press conference that the authorities will purge the country's prison system and punish those responsible for corruption in response to the prison attack.
Police campaign
After the escape of the prisoners, the Mexican security forces launched a campaign to re-arrest the escapees, and 7 people were killed during the ongoing campaign.
The city of Juarez, adjacent to the American city of El Paso, witnessed intense confrontations for years between security forces and drug gangs, and confrontations and riots broke out inside the prison itself, the most prominent of which occurred in March 2009 when 20 people were killed.
Mexico's detention centers suffer from overcrowding and violence, which has been exacerbated in recent years by conflicts between criminal groups.
The German news agency reported that the city of Juarez currently ranks fifth in the list of the most dangerous cities in the world, with a rate of 85 murders per 100,000 inhabitants.