Cieneguillas prison riots

Last updated

Cieneguillas prison riots
Cieneguillas CERESA after 2019riots 03.png
The prison on 1 January 2020
Date31 December 2019, 2 January 2020
Location
Cieneguillas Prison, Zacatecas, Mexico

22°45′46″N102°40′16″W / 22.76278°N 102.67111°W / 22.76278; -102.67111
Caused byCartel war
Casualties
Death(s)17
Injuries10

Two prison riots occurred at the Cieneguillas Regional Center for Social Reintegration in Cieneguillas, Zacatecas, Mexico. The first was on 31 December 2019, and the second on 2 January 2020. Sixteen inmates were killed on 31 December, and another inmate was killed on 2 January.

Contents

Background

The Cieneguillas prison is a medium-security center. [1] During the 2010s, inmates linked with various cartels, including Los Zetas, the Gulf Cartel, and the Sinaloa Cartel, were added to the prison. [1] The prison became dangerous and failed several assessments due to the introduction of the cartel inmates, with the last assessment before the riots deeming it to have a lack of governance and an undermined security. [1] The prison is sectioned so that members of different organizations, and those unaffiliated, are separated. [1] However, when reporters from El Universal visited in 2019, authorities reported a lack of infrastructure to operate the prison optimally. [1]

In 2009, the prison was the location of a high-profile escape that freed 53 inmates; a state official, speaking in 2019, said that steps had been taken to improve security after that event. [1] There was also a plan to cause a riot on New Year's Eve in 2018, to allow another escape, but this was uncovered and prevented. [1]

Riots

New Year's Eve riot

The prison's football pitch in 2012 Cieneguillas CERESA Zacatecas 2012.png
The prison's football pitch in 2012

The riot broke out at 2:30 pm local time (20:30 GMT) and lasted until about 5 pm local time. [2] Inmates used weapons including knives and guns; when the situation was calmed, these were found, including one gun on the person of an inmate. [2] It is reportedly not known how weapons entered the prison, [2] but speculation from a state official suggested they could have been smuggled during visitation earlier the same day. [3] A search for weapons had been conducted in the days before New Year's Eve. [4] It is believed that the riot broke out due to fighting between different cartels, [1] while local media reported that it was a dispute over a football game [3] where old rivalries became inflamed again. [5]

Visitors were still in the prison when the riot began, but were escorted out. [6] Some of the visitors told the press that they had been able to see dead and injured inmates from the riot. [5]

2 January riot

After the first riot, the prison security announced that they were on alert for any reaction between the prisoners that may occur. [7]

Another riot broke out in the morning of 2 January, less than 48 hours after the first. [6] State security has said that the second riot broke out after fighting between inmates over the first riot. Inmates began attacking others who they believed betrayed them in the other riot. [8] This riot was stopped more quickly; the prison's panic button had been immediately set off, with the state police and ambulance service alerted to the scene. [7]

Victims

An ambulance leaving the prison after the first riot Cieneguillas CERESA after 2019riots 02.png
An ambulance leaving the prison after the first riot

In the first riot, sixteen inmates were killed and five others injured. [2] Fifteen of those dead died in the prison, the other died later at a hospital. [2] A state official said on 1 January that the deaths were variously caused by gunshot wounds, stab wounds, and being beaten. [2] Only inmates were injured. [2]

In the second riot, one inmate was killed, and another five injured. [1] The prisoner who died was beaten by a metal cell door that others had taken off. [8] All the injuries in this riot were also caused by beatings, not weapons. [8]

Response

An investigation was begun into various staff at the prison working shifts around the first riot. [3] On 1 January, state officials said they increased the security inside and around the prison, and 120 inmates were relocated to prevent more rioting. [3] However, the second riot occurred after these measures were taken. [3]

After the second riot, the road from the town of Cieneguillas to the prison was closed, [3] and access to the town from outside was also blocked. [7] The Public Security Minister announced that 31 December riot took place between members of the Gulf Cartel and Sinaloa Cartel. [3] The Security Minister for Zacatecas attended to the prison in person after the second riot. [5] [7] After the second riot, a total of 165 inmates were transferred to Guanajuato. [9]

Elian Peltier of The New York Times said that it was "one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the country's troubled penal system for years". [10] The director of the prison, Antonio Solís, was fired on 3 January, [11] with former brigadier general Ignacio López Flores being made director on 8 January. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Zetas</span> Mexican criminal syndicate

Los Zetas is a Mexican criminal syndicate, known as one of the most dangerous of Mexico's drug cartels. They are known for engaging in brutally violent "shock and awe" tactics such as beheadings, torture, and indiscriminate murder. While primarily concerned with drug trafficking, the organization also ran profitable sex and gun rackets. Los Zetas also operated through protection rackets, assassinations, extortion, kidnappings and other illegal activities. The organization was based in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, directly across the border from Laredo, Texas. The origins of Los Zetas date back to the late 1990s, when commandos of the Mexican Army deserted their ranks and began working as the enforcement arm of the Gulf Cartel. In February 2010, Los Zetas broke away and formed their own criminal organization, rivalling the Gulf Cartel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf Cartel</span> Criminal group based in Tamaulipas

The Gulf Cartel is a criminal syndicate and drug trafficking organization in Mexico, and perhaps one of the oldest organized crime groups in the country. It is currently based in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, directly across the U.S. border from Brownsville, Texas.

The timeline of some of the most relevant events in the Mexican drug war is set out below. Although violence between drug cartels had been occurring for three decades, the Mexican government held a generally passive stance regarding cartel violence through the 1980s and early 2000s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joint Operation Nuevo León-Tamaulipas</span> Anti-drug operation in Mexico

Joint Operation Nuevo León-Tamaulipas is an anti-drug joint operation in two Mexican states of Tamaulipas and Nuevo León by Federal Police and the Mexican Armed Forces. The objective of the joint operation is to eliminate Los Zetas and Gulf Cartel operations in the area. So far, many cartel members have been either killed or arrested. Recently Los Zetas and the Gulf Cartel have broken relations and started fighting each other.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Servando Gómez Martínez</span> Mexican drug trafficker

Servando Gómez Martínez, commonly referred to by his alias La Tuta for once being a teacher, is a Mexican drug lord and former leader of the Knights Templar Cartel, a criminal organization based in the state of Michoacán. He is a former leader and founder member of La Familia Michoacana drug cartel, the split-off group of the Knights Templar. On February 27, 2015, he was arrested by Mexican security forces in Morelia, Michoacán.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apodaca prison riot</span> 2012 riot in Nuevo León, Mexico

The Apodaca prison riot occurred on 19 February 2012 at a prison in Apodaca, Nuevo León, Mexico. Mexico City officials stated that at least 44 people were killed, with another twelve injured. The Blog del Narco, a blog that documents events and people of the Mexican Drug War anonymously, reported that the actual (unofficial) death toll may be more than 70 people. The fight was between Los Zetas and the Gulf Cartel, two drug cartels that operate in northeastern Mexico. The governor of Nuevo León, Rodrigo Medina, mentioned on 20 February 2012 that 30 inmates escaped from the prison during the riot. Four days later, however, the new figures of the fugitives went down to 29. On 16 March 2012, the Attorney General's Office of Nuevo León confirmed that 37 prisoners had actually escaped on the day of the massacre. One of the fugitives, Óscar Manuel Bernal alias La Araña, is considered by the Mexican authorities to be "extremely dangerous," and is believed to be the leader of Los Zetas in the municipality of Monterrey. Some other fugitives were also leaders in the organization.

The Altamira prison brawl was a deadly fight that occurred on 4 January 2012 in Altamira, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Officials from the state of Tamaulipas confirmed that 31 people were killed, with another thirteen injured. The fight started after a drug gang burst into a section of the prison where they were banned from, attacking their rival gang housed there, triggering the fight. During the altercation, the inmates used several kinds of cold weapons (non-firearms) to kill their opponents. The prisoners also used sticks and knives to massacre the members of the rival gang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jalisco New Generation Cartel</span> Mexican drug cartel

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel or CJNG, is a Mexican criminal syndicate, based in Jalisco and headed by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes. The cartel has been characterized by extreme violence and public relations campaigns. Though the CJNG is known for diversifying into various criminal rackets, drug trafficking remains its most profitable activity. The cartel has been noted for cannibalizing some victims during the training of new sicarios or members, as well as using drones and rocket-propelled grenades to attack enemies.

In 2011 and 2012, during the Mexican drug war, hundreds of people were killed in massacres by rival drug cartels who were fighting for power and territory. These organized-crime syndicates were grappling for control over the drug corridors to the United States, the drug markets in local cities, extortion rackets, and human smuggling. Massacres occurred in the states of Veracruz, Sinaloa, Jalisco, Tamaulipas and Nuevo León.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Topo Chico prison riot</span> 2016 prison riot in Mexico

On 10 February 2016, a prison riot broke out at the Topo Chico prison near Monterrey, in northern Mexico. 49 inmates were killed during the riot and ensuing fire. The riot was the most deadly in Mexican penal history, surpassing the death toll of the 2012 Apodaca prison riot. After the rioting, authorities uncovered 'luxury cells' prison leaders had. Among the items confiscated included televisions, mini-fridges, aquariums, and saunas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rubén Oseguera González</span> Mexican-American former high ranking official in CJNG

Rubén Oseguera González, commonly referred to by his alias El Menchito, is a US-born Mexican convicted drug lord and former high-ranking member of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a criminal group based in Jalisco. He is the son of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, Mexico's most-wanted man. Under his father, he allegedly worked as the CJNG's second-in-command and managed international drug trafficking operations. Oseguera González was first arrested in January 2014 in Jalisco, but was released in October for lack of evidence and re-arrested immediately as he walked out of prison. He was then released again in December after a judge considered the evidence against him as insufficient. In June 2015, Oseguera González was arrested again, released a month later, and re-arrested as his release order was made official. His legal case has highlighted the growing tensions and deficiencies between prosecutors and judges in Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Érick Valencia Salazar</span> Mexican gangster

Érick Valencia Salazar, commonly referred to by his alias El 85, is a Mexican drug lord and high-ranking leader of the Nueva Plaza Cartel. He previously served as a high-ranking leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a criminal group based in Jalisco. The Mexican Army suspects he was responsible for supervising the CJNG's cocaine and ephedrine delivery shipments from Colombia and China to Mexico, and for coordinating attacks against rival groups like La Resistencia and Los Zetas in the 2010s. Before leading the CJNG, Valencia reportedly held a leadership role within the Milenio Cartel, the predecessor group where the CJNG originated from. When several of his superiors were arrested and/or killed, Valencia and several others from the Milenio Cartel reportedly formed the CJNG.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 San Sebastián del Oeste ambush</span> 2015 attack on Mexican police forces

On 6 April 2015, a convoy of the Jalisco State Police was ambushed by suspected members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a criminal group based in Jalisco. The attack occurred in a mountain road in San Sebastián del Oeste, Jalisco. Fifteen policemen were killed and five were wounded; no CJNG casualties were confirmed. According to police reports, as the police convoy reached a part of the road surrounded by mountains, the CJNG opened fire at the police units from the sides using high-caliber rifles, grenade launchers, and explosives with gasoline. The element of surprise prevented the police from repelling the aggression. The CJNG members burned several vehicles along the highway to halt reinforcements. The attack lasted roughly 30 minutes. When government reinforcements reached the scene, the CJNG gunmen had left.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martín Arzola Ortega</span> Mexican criminal

Martín Arzola Ortega, commonly referred to by his alias "El 53", was a Mexican convicted drug lord and former high-ranking leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a criminal group based in Jalisco. He worked under Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, the alleged top leader of the CJNG. Arzola Ortega began his criminal career in 1998 as a cargo truck thief and eventually joined the Milenio Cartel, the predecessor group of the CJNG. After several of his bosses were arrested and/or killed, he founded the CJNG with other defectors in the 2010s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">René Velázquez Valenzuela</span> Mexican drug lord and hitman

René Velázquez Valenzuela was a Mexican suspected hitman and high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel, a criminal group based in Sinaloa. According to security forces, Velázquez was a senior member within Los Ántrax, one of the Sinaloa Cartel's assassin squads responsible for fighting rival gangs, guarding drug shipments, and protecting the family of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, one of Mexico's most-wanted men. He was commonly referred to by his aliases "El Sargento Phoenix", "El Gato Negro", and "El Talibán". Velázquez was known for his long beard and shaved head.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Culiacán</span> 2019 Mexican National Guard operation to capture Ovidio Guzmán López

The Battle of Culiacán, also known locally as the Culiacanazo and Black Thursday, was a failed attempt to capture Ovidio Guzmán López, son of Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, who was wanted in the United States for drug trafficking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guanare prison riot</span> Venezuelan prison riot

The Guanare prison riot, also known as the Guanaremassacre, occurred in the Los Llanos prison in Guanare, Portuguesa state, Venezuela, on 1 May 2020. The events caused around 47 deaths, and 75 people were injured.

The 2023 Sinaloa unrest began on January 5, 2023, following the arrest of Ovidio Guzmán, son of jailed drug lord Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, sparking a wave of violence in the state of Sinaloa. In retaliation for the arrest of Ovidio Guzmán, cartel members blocked highways with burning vehicles and began attacks against the armed forces. The Culiacán International Airport was closed after gunfire was opened on two planes. On January 13, the Mexican Secretary of the Interior Adán Augusto López Hernández declared that "order has been reestablished" in Sinaloa.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Cieneguillas, a Mexican prison subdued by crime". El Universal (in Spanish). 3 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Mexico prison riot leaves 16 dead". BBC. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Mexican drug cartels clash in bloody Zacatecas prison riots". El Universal (in Spanish). 2 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  4. ↑ "At least 16 inmates dead, 5 wounded in central Mexico prison riot in Zacatecas state". El Paso Times. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 "Nueva riña en penal de Cieneguillas, Zacatecas, deja un muerto". CBS. 2 January 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  6. 1 2 Suárez, Karina (2 January 2020). "Una nueva riña eleva a 17 la cifra de muertos en un penal en el Estado mexicano de Zacatecas". El País (in Spanish). ISSN   1134-6582 . Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Reportan segunda riña en penal de Cieneguillas, Zacatecas; hay un muerto". El Universal (in Spanish). 2 January 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 "Inmate dies in new riot at Mexico jail where 16 were killed". AP NEWS. 2 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  9. ↑ "A Guanajuato, 165 reos tras riña en penal de Cieneguillas, Zacatecas". www.milenio.com. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  10. ↑ Peltier, Elian (1 January 2020). "Mexico Prison Fight Leaves at Least 16 Inmates Dead". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  11. ↑ "Zacatecas: tras riña, destituirán a director del penal de Cieneguillas". www.milenio.com. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  12. ↑ "Zacatecas nombra a general director de penal de Cieneguillas". www.milenio.com. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.