Global InformationApodaca prison riot information
| Apodaca prison riot | |
|---|---|
| Part of Mexican Drug War | |
 Mug shots of the Zeta fugitives. | |
| Location | Apodaca, Nuevo León, Mexico |
| Coordinates | 25°52′01″N 100°15′21″W / 25.86694°N 100.25583°W |
| Date | 19 February 2012 2:00 am – 6:00 am |
| Target | Gulf Cartel |
Attack type | Mass murder, prison riot, prison escape |
| Weapons | Clubs, knives, and rocks[1] |
| Deaths | 44 (All Gulf Cartel members)[2] |
| Injured | 12 (During main riot)[3] 22 (After later riots)[4] |
| Perpetrator | Los Zetas |
No. of participants | 10–12 (Zeta killers)[5][6] 21 (Prison officers)[7] |
The Apodaca prison riot occurred on 19 February 2012 at a prison in Apodaca, Nuevo León, Mexico.[3] Mexico City officials stated that at least 44 people were killed, with another twelve injured.[3] The Blog del Narco, a blog that documents events and people of the Mexican Drug War anonymously, reported that the actual (unofficial) death toll may be more than 70 people.[8] The fight was between Los Zetas and the Gulf Cartel, two drug cartels that operate in northeastern Mexico.[9] The governor of Nuevo León, Rodrigo Medina, mentioned on 20 February 2012 that 30 inmates escaped from the prison during the riot.[10] Four days later, however, the new figures of the fugitives went down to 29.[11] On 16 March 2012, the Attorney General's Office of Nuevo León confirmed that 37 prisoners had actually escaped on the day of the massacre.[12] One of the fugitives, Óscar Manuel Bernal alias La Araña (The Spider), is considered by the Mexican authorities to be "extremely dangerous," and is believed to be the leader of Los Zetas in the municipality of Monterrey.[13] Some other fugitives were also leaders in the organization.[14]
The fight broke out around 2:00 am local time between inmates in one high security cell block and inmates of another security cell block.[15][16] The guards of the prison allowed the Zeta members to surge from Cellblock C into Cellblock D and attack the Gulf Cartel members, who were sleeping.[17] A guard was taken hostage during the melee, and mattresses were set on fire.[18] Security personnel regained control of the prison by 6:00 am.[3] Each cell block contained roughly 750 inmates, with members of rival drug cartels normally separated.[15] Not all the prisoners were able to be counted, but by the time the dead prisoners were counted, the public security spokesperson speculated that the riot may have been started as a cover for a jail break.[15] It was later confirmed that the riot and brawl "served as cover for a massive jailbreak" for the members of the Zetas drug cartel, who attacked the Gulf Cartel inmates.[19]
According to The Wall Street Journal and El Universal, the mass murder in Apodaca is the deadliest prison massacre in Mexico's history.[20][21] Milenio news, in addition, mentioned that the prisons in the state of Nuevo León are plagued with violence, and that they are "under the control of the criminal groups" that operate in the area.[22] The Apodaca prison was built to house 1,500 inmates, but had around 3,000 incarcerated at the time of the riot.[16] After the split of the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas in early 2010, both groups have been battling for Monterrey and other areas in northeastern Mexico.[23] And although no firearms were used in the fight between the two groups, the fact that their turf war goes as far as to Mexico's prison system only "emphasizes the bitterness of their rivalry."[24] More importantly, however, the massacre, and the involvement of the prison guards in the escape, highlights the problems facing Mexico's—and the rest of Latin America's prison system.[24]
- ^ "Los 44 reclusos fueron asesinados uno por uno". Milenio (in Spanish). 21 February 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
- ^ "Cesan a todo el personal del Cereso de Apodaca". Animal Político (in Spanish). 21 February 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Dozens killed in Mexico prison fight". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
- ^ "Traslado de reos deja 22 heridos en penal de Apodaca". Yahoo! News (in Spanish). 22 February 2012. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
- ^ "Ya hay 10 asesinos identificados: PGJE". Milenio (in Spanish). 24 February 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
- ^ "Identifican a reos agresores en masacre de Cereso de Apodaca". Terra Networks (in Spanish). 16 March 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
- ^ "Dan formal prisión a directivos y custodios del penal de Apodaca". Proceso (in Spanish). 16 March 2012. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
- ^ "Motín en Nuevo León: oficial 38 reos muertos, extraoficial al menos 70". Blog del Narco (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
- ^ Post, Washington (21 February 2012). "Drug cartel blamed in prison riot that killed 44". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
- ^ "Funcionarios, cómplices en fuga de 30 reos en Apodaca, dice el gobernador". CNNMexico (in Spanish). 20 February 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
- ^ "Son 29 fugados de Apodaca, rectifica PGJNL". El Universal (in Spanish). 24 February 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
- ^ "Del penal de Apodaca se fugaron 37 reos, no 29, corrigen las autoridades". Animal Politico (in Spanish). 16 March 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
- ^ "Reo fugado en NL, de alta peligrosidad". El Universal (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 February 2012.
- ^ "Eran ex jefes de plaza algunos de los fugados". Milenio (in Spanish). 21 February 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
- ^ a b c "Mexican prison officials detained after deadly Apodaca riot". Herald Sun. 19 February 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
BBCwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Malkin, Elisabeth (21 February 2012). "Guards Implicated in Mexico Prison's Deadly Gang Attack". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
- ^ "44 killed in Mexican prison melee". CNN. 19 February 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
- ^ Wilkinson, Tracy (21 February 2012). "Mexico prison riot was cover for jailbreak, officials say". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
- ^ Jose de Cordoba (19 February 2012). "Mexico Prison Riot Leaves 44 Dead". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
- ^ "Mueren 44 reos en riña en penal de NL". El Universal (in Spanish). 20 February 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
- ^ "Penales de NL, en manos de los grupos delictivos". Milenio (in Spanish). 20 February 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
- ^ "Mexican jail chiefs sacked after deadly riot". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
- ^ a b Fox, Edward (20 February 2012). "Zetas-Gulf Cartel Prison Fight' Leaves 44 Dead". InSight Crime. Retrieved 16 March 2012.[permanent dead link]