23 inmates escape from Puerto Vallarta prison confirmed after violence due to the death of "El Mencho" in Jalisco

The Public Security Secretariat of Jalisco (SSP) confirmed the escape of 23 people, who were deprived of their liberty in the prison of Ixtapa, located in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco.

The incident, which occurred on February 22nd, happened after armed groups broke into the penitentiary, with shots and the demolition of a gate by means of a vehicle.

According to the official information, the situation generated a series of internal disturbances.

In a press conference, the Secretary of Public Security of Jalisco, Juan Pablo Hernández, specified that alerts have been implemented to different federal entities to locate and capture the escapees.

In addition, the official confirmed that penitentiary security elements tried to repel the aggression, but one of them died during the confrontation.

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Response from authorities and control of the situation

The leak was confirmed by Juan Pablo Hernández. Credit: Facebook - Juan Pablo Hernández. The head of the Public Security Secretariat (SSP) declared that, after the attack, there were attempts at fights within the prison, so reinforcements were requested from the metropolitan area and from Puerto Vallarta to restore order, a task that was complicated by the violence recorded in other parts of the municipality. Hernández pointed out that security was restored after the roll call, and that human rights personnel remain in the prison supervising the situation. “The information available at roll call is thattwenty-threepeople deprived of their liberty have escaped and the corresponding alerts are already being sent to the different federal entities for their capture,” declared Hernández in a press conference.

State police support after the Ixtapa prison break

The Secretary of Public Security of Jalisco reported that it was necessary to send elements of the state police to provide support at the Ixtapa prison. According to the report, personnel from the metropolitan area and prominent elements in Puerto Vallarta went to the penitentiary center to collaborate in the restoration of order, due to the complexity of the events and the disturbances that occurred after the entry of the armed groups. The official explained that the arrival of reinforcements was complicated by the situation inside and outside the prison.

Context of the violence after the death of "El Mencho"

The mass escape occurs amid an escalation of violence in Jalisco, attributed to the reaction of criminal groups due to the arrest and subsequent death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho”, the result of an operation led by the Secretariat of National Defense (Defense) in Tapalpa. According to official reports, the killing of Nemesio caused criminal groups linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) to carry out 85 narco-blockades distributed in the following states:

• Baja California
• State of Mexico
• Michoacán
• Guanajuato
• Guerrero,
• Jalisco
• Oaxaca
• Sinaloa
• Tamaulipas
• Veracruz
• Zacatecas

The entity that suffered the most violence from the criminal group was Jalisco, because it concentrated the largest number, with 18 blockades. You can also read:

Similar case: the Culiacanazo escape

During the "Culiacanazo", which occurred on October 17, 2019 in Culiacán, Sinaloa, the violent events and the mass escape of inmates occurred as a criminal response to the capture of Ovidio Guzmán López, son of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán and one of the main leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel at that time. On that occasion, armed groups deployed blockades, attacks, and clashes at different points in Culiacán to pressure the authorities and achieve the release of Guzmán López. In the midst of the chaos, more than 50 inmates took advantage of the crisis to escape from the Aguaruto prison, increasing the climate of insecurity in the city and evidencing the capacity of criminal groups.