Thursday, April 01, 2010

50 guards accused of conspiring in Matamoros prison break

It was suspected from the get-go that guards helped pull off a mass prison break recently in the border town of Matamoros, but according to TV news coverage in the Valley:

Mexican authorities have filed criminal charges against 50 jail guards at a state prison just outside Matamoros.

Action 4 News first reported the escape of 41 prisoners at the "Centro de EjecuciĆ³n de Sanciones" in Matamoros.

The prisoners remain at large but an investigation revealed that they may have had help from two guards who remain missing.

The Mexican Attorney General's Office (PGR) is now reporting that 50 jail guards are facing criminal charges for their alleged roles in the prisoners' escape.

PGR officials confirmed that at least 35 of the escaped prisoners were being jailed for federal crimes.

The Tamaulipas Ministry of Public Safety (SSP) fired prison director Jaime Cano-Gallardo and launched an investigation into his conduct.

The Metro Noticias de Tamaulipas newspaper is reporting that Cano-Gallardo fled to the United States to evade the investigation.

Of course, those are only charges, not convictions, but it's mind boggling to think of corruption potentially running that deep, with 50 guards accused and the head of the prison on the lam.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maybe it's time we faced the anarchy that defines Mexico. That anarchy also defines most of our inner cities in the US. There is no reason to be shocked, it's all well known.

Anonymous said...

I grew up along the border and hate to say this, but corruption is a way of life on both sides of the bridge. It has only gotten worse is the 20 years since I left.