Tula prison break

Tula prison break
Part of the Mexican drug war
Date 1 December 2021 Location Tula de Allende, Hidalgo, Mexico 20.0603°N 99.3617°W / 20.0603; -99.3617 Result Prison break successful Nine inmates freed Cartel boss escaped Mexico promises to recapture inmates
Belligerents
Gangsters Prisoners	Mexican police
Casualties and losses
	2 injured
class=notpageimage| Location within Hidalgo

On 1 December 2021, a gang of armed men broke into a prison in Tula de Allende, Hidalgo state, Mexico.^[1][2]

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]

References

1. "Brazen prison break sees nine escape with help of armed men". Riviera Maya News. 2021-12-02. Archived from the original on 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
2. "Gangsters use vehicles to ram into Mexico prison and free nine inmates". The Guardian. 2021-12-01. Archived from the original on 2021-12-01. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
3. "Car bomb prison break frees nine inmates in Mexico". ca.news.yahoo.com. 2 December 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
4. "El espectacular ataque con autos bomba a un penal en México del que escaparon 9 reos". BBC Mundo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-12-01. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
5. "Dramatic breakout as gang rams vehicles into prison in Mexico". euronews. 2021-12-02. Archived from the original on 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
6. "Gang rams vehicles into prison, springs 9 inmates". The Independent. 2021-12-02. Archived from the original on 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
7. "Ya son 8 detenidos y 3 recapturados tras fuga en penal de Tula". TV Azteca (in Spanish). 2021-12-02. Archived from the original on 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
8. Carillo, Gerardo (2021-12-01). "Gang rams vehicles into prison, springs 9 inmates". CTVNews. Archived from the original on 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2021-12-02.