Prison Riot Was Over Carte's Collection of $15 Million Pesos a Month from Prisoners Juan Alberto Cedillo - Proceso
go to original February 16, 2016

Mexican Officials Find Gang Leaders Lived in Luxury at Site of Deadly Prison Riot (NewsBeat Social)

The Second Section of the Seventh Military Zone [covering the state of Nuevo Leon] warned Rodrigo Medina de la Cruz [governor, 2009-2015] that, thanks to the complicity of prison authorities, in Topo Chico prison Los Zetas obtained some 15 million pesos [US$795,000] per month [average of 3,845 pesos or US$204 per each of 3,900 prisoners] via the collection of fees, drug sales and other businesses, funds enabling them to finance the drug war that plagued the state of Nuevo Leon during this period.

The warning came in the middle of the administration of Medina de la Cruz. But it was not the only one: researchers from the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon published the book Prison and Family: challenges for social cohesion and development in the XXI century, which documented the tragedy experienced by the families of those held in state prisons.

In addition, human rights organizations warned about the time bomb that threatened the prisons by putting dangerous organized crime inmates together with those held for common crimes.

The military intelligence report stressed that at least five million pesos [US$265,000] of the total obtained by Los Zetas in Topo Chico were destined to bribery of guards, captains of the guards and directors of the detention center. In military circles it was rumored that bribes also reached commanders of the Secretariat of Public Security [state police]...

In Topo Chico, on December 31, 2011, Los Zetas showed that they maintained control over the prison. That day, they mounted an operation to remove Gabriela Muñiz Tamez, "The Redhead", from the prison and hang her on a pedestrian bridge on important avenue of Monterrey, because she was the girlfriend of a Gulf Cartel kingpin. The image of the woman, hanging with her torso naked, went around the world.

Despite the warning made to him by the army, Governor Rodrigo Medina de la Cruz did not move a finger to regain control of the prison, even when the murders of guards and heads of guards occurred daily.

Read the rest at Mexico Voices

Related: Can Mexico’s Horrific Prisons be Fixed? Start with the Guards. (El Daily post)

Mexico Voices is a blogging endeavor aimed at raising the awareness of U.S. citizens regarding the destructive impact of the U.S. economic policy and the War on Drugs on Mexico — on its people, their economic and physical security and their human rights, on the nation’s dysfunctional justice system, and on the rule of law and Mexico’s fragile democracy. Visit the website at MexicoVoices.blogspot.mx

Government broadcasts video of the inside of Topo Chico, on tour conducted a few days after the tragedy. (Josue Gonzalez)

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