Tula prison break
Prison escape in Mexico
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On 1 December 2021, a gang of armed men broke into a prison in Tula de Allende, Hidalgo state, Mexico.[1][2]
Prison break successful
- Nine inmates freed
- Cartel boss escaped
- Mexico promises to recapture inmates
| Tula prison break | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Mexican drug war | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
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 Mexican police | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 2 injured | |||||||
  Location within Hidalgo | |||||||
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]