Topo Chico (prison)
Prison located in Monterrey, northern Mexico
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Topo Chico was a prison located in Monterrey, northern Mexico, close to Penitenciaría (Spanish for 'penitentiary') metro station.
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 Interactive map of Topo Chico | |
| Coordinates | 25°43′30″N 100°20′44″W |
|---|---|
| Status | closed |
| Capacity | 3,685[1] |
| Population | 4,091[1] (as of September 2015) |
| Managed by | Secretariat of Public Security |
| Director | Gregoria Salazar Robles[2] |
| City | Monterrey |
| State/province | Nuevo León |
| Country | Mexico |
| Notable prisoners | |
| Jorge Lankenau | |
The prison is an establishment of the Federal Government of Mexico and is administered by the Secretariat of Public Security (Spanish: Secretaría de Seguridad Pública, SSP). The director of the prison is Gregoria Salazar Robles, appointed 12 March 2012.[2]
As of September 2015 the prison was overcrowded with a capacity for 3,685 inmates but a population of 4,091.[1] The infrastructure in poor condition with generally no water, light or ventilation in the cells according to a 2014 report by United Nations Special Rapporteur Juan E. Méndez.[3]
Incidents
In 2011 police found the dismembered body of prison security chief Francisco Martinez Ramirez in a plastic box inside a car abandoned near Topo Chico.[4]
On 21 February 2012, 3 inmates were stabbed to death in targeted attacks at the prison.[5]
On 11 February 2016, 49 inmates were killed and 12 injured following a fight between two rival gangs at Topo Chico[6] in which inmates set fires affecting two of the prison's units.[7] Governor of Nuevo León state Jaime Rodríguez Calderón told journalists that one of the factions involved in the violence was led by a leader of the Zetas Cartel, and the leader of the other group was identified by Mexican media as a leader of the Gulf Cartel.[8]
