- • MURDERS: At least 16 inmates were killed and 5 were injured Tuesday during a violent prison fight between members of two rival criminal organizations (the Sinaloa Cartel and the Gulf Cartel) at the Cieneguillas state penitentiary in the northern state of Zacatecas, authorities confirmed.
• INVESTIGATION: According to state Public Security Minister, Ismael Camberos, the whole prison staff is under investigation and said he suspects that the firearms used in the fight were smuggled into the jail sometime on Tuesday when families were visiting inmates for New Year’s Eve.
• NOTICE: Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) inspected the Cieneguillas facility back in 2019 warning in a report that the jail presented significant operation flaws including a condition of self-government among inmates and deficiencies in imposing discipline sanctions.
• PRECEDENT: In 2009, more than 53 inmates escaped from the Cieneguillas state penitentiary during a massive operation that involved members of Los Zetas organized crime group along with jail wardens that ended with 22 inmates being recaptured and 10 others killed.
