Tula prison break explained

Conflict:	Tula prison break
Place:	Tula de Allende, Hidalgo, Mexico
Date:	1 December 2021
Partof:	the Mexican drug war
Combatant1:	Gangsters Prisoners
Combatant2:	Mexican police
Result:	Prison break successful Nine inmates freed Cartel boss escaped Mexico promises to recapture inmates
Casualties2:	2 injured
Map Type:	Mexico 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.^[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. 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.

The government of Hidalgo has launched an investigation aiming to track the criminals down. The program is still ongoing.

Car bombs are a rare occurrence in Mexico; the most notable example of their usage occurring in 2010.^[8]

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2021-12-02. Brazen prison break sees nine escape with help of armed men. 2021-12-02. Riviera Maya News. en-US. 2021-12-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20211202145521/https://www.riviera-maya-news.com/brazen-prison-break-sees-nine-escape-with-help-of-armed-men/2021.html. live.
2. Web site: 2021-12-01. Gangsters use vehicles to ram into Mexico prison and free nine inmates. live. 2021-12-02. The Guardian. en. 2021-12-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20211201220640/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/01/mexico-prison-break-car-bombs.
3. Web site: Car bomb prison break frees nine inmates in Mexico. 2021-12-02. ca.news.yahoo.com. 2 December 2021 . en-CA. 2021-12-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20211202184927/https://ca.news.yahoo.com/car-bomb-prison-break-frees-023900527.html. live.
4. News: El espectacular ataque con autos bomba a un penal en México del que escaparon 9 reos. es. BBC Mundo. 2021-12-02. 2021-12-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20211201224238/https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-59499637. live.
5. Web site: 2021-12-02. Dramatic breakout as gang rams vehicles into prison in Mexico. live. 2021-12-02. euronews. en. 2021-12-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20211202123732/https://www.euronews.com/2021/12/02/dramatic-breakout-as-gang-rams-vehicles-into-prison-in-mexico.
6. Web site: 2021-12-02. Gang rams vehicles into prison, springs 9 inmates. live. 2021-12-02. The Independent. en. 2021-12-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20211202184925/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/mexico-mexico-city-police-national-guard-ciudad-juarez-b1968172.html.
7. Web site: 2021-12-02. Ya son 8 detenidos y 3 recapturados tras fuga en penal de Tula. live. 2021-12-02. TV Azteca. es. 2021-12-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20211202184927/https://www.tvazteca.com/aztecanoticias/tula-fuga-detenidos-recapturados-mej.
8. Web site: Carillo. Gerardo. 2021-12-01. Gang rams vehicles into prison, springs 9 inmates. live. 2021-12-02. CTVNews. en. 2021-12-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20211202044040/https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/gang-rams-vehicles-into-prison-springs-9-inmates-1.5690074.