A wild prison riot in northern Mexico on Sunday that left 44 people stabbed and bludgeoned to death was planned as a cover for a massive drug cartel jailbreak – likely with the help of corrupt prison officials. Click below to read the rest of the story.
Officials in the state of Nuevo Leon believe that at least 30 inmates with links to the ruthless Zetas drug gang escaped amid the early-morning chaos at the high-security lockup near Monterrey, The Associated Press reported.
Governor Rodrigo Medina said 18 prison guards and four other officials – including the prison director – were under investigation for aiding the escape.
“Unfortunately, a group of traitors has set back the work of a lot of good police,” Medina said at a news conference.
“This isn’t a thing where, in the middle of a riot, it occurred to these people to escape,” he added. “There was a plan, which undoubtedly relied on the complicity of some officials.”
The riot broke out at around 2 a.m. Sunday when a group of Zetas attacked members of a rival gang, the Gulf cartel, with improvised clubs, shivs and stones.
The fighting lasted for a few hours before state and federal police regained control.
