Tula prison break

Last updated
Tula prison break
Part of the Mexican drug war
Date1 December 2021
Location 20°03′37″N99°21′42″W / 20.0603°N 99.3617°W / 20.0603; -99.3617
Result

Prison break successful

  • Nine inmates freed
  • Cartel boss escaped
  • Mexico promises to recapture inmates
Belligerents
  • Gangsters
  • Prisoners
Flag of Mexico.svg Mexican police
Casualties and losses
2 injured
Mexico Hidalgo location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Hidalgo

On 1 December 2021, a gang of armed men broke into a prison in Tula de Allende, Hidalgo state, Mexico. [1] [2]

Contents

Incident

At around 4am on 1 December 2021, gangsters arrived at the building, they proceeded to car-ram and then blow up a pair of vehicles, catching the prison guards' attention. Gunshots were fired by the criminals. [3] [4]

Just as local security forces began to react, two more cars exploded, allowing the gang to successfully storm the jail. [1] [5]

Aftermath

Nine inmates were freed, [6] including José Artemio Maldonado Mejía, more well known as "El Michoacano", a local drug lord and head of a Mexican drug cartel, the Pueblos Unidos. [2] The next day, Mexican police managed to recapture three inmates and 8 criminals involved in the prison raid. [7]

Two law enforcement officers, one a policeman and the second a guard, were injured in the attack. [2]

The government of Hidalgo has launched an investigation aiming to track the criminals down. The program is still ongoing. [4]

Car bombs are a rare occurrence in Mexico; the most notable example of their usage occurring in 2010. [8] [6]

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References

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  2. 1 2 3 "Gangsters use vehicles to ram into Mexico prison and free nine inmates". The Guardian . 2021-12-01. Archived from the original on 2021-12-01. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
  3. "Car bomb prison break frees nine inmates in Mexico". ca.news.yahoo.com. 2 December 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
  4. 1 2 "El espectacular ataque con autos bomba a un penal en México del que escaparon 9 reos". BBC Mundo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-12-01. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
  5. "Dramatic breakout as gang rams vehicles into prison in Mexico". euronews . 2021-12-02. Archived from the original on 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
  6. 1 2 "Gang rams vehicles into prison, springs 9 inmates". The Independent . 2021-12-02. Archived from the original on 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
  7. "Ya son 8 detenidos y 3 recapturados tras fuga en penal de Tula". TV Azteca (in Spanish). 2021-12-02. Archived from the original on 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
  8. Carillo, Gerardo (2021-12-01). "Gang rams vehicles into prison, springs 9 inmates". CTVNews . Archived from the original on 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2021-12-02.