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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | December 2006 
17 Inmates Still Free After Cancun Riot
 Associated Press
| | Rioting inmates lie on the ground after being subdued by authorities inside of the state penitentiary in Cancun, Mexico on Friday Dec. 8, 2006. At least 2 inmates died after prisoners began fighting the guards to stop a transfer of 40 inmates, including the alleged prison gang leader, to a penitentiary in the city of Chetumal, 380 kilometers (235 miles) away. (AP/Israel Leal) |
More than 100 prisoners escaped Friday from a state penitentiary a few miles from Cancun's resort zone after hundreds of inmates overpowered guards with knives and bats.
Police quickly recaptured most of the men, but there were still 17 at large by late Friday, the state press office said.
Guards shot and killed three inmates during the riot, said Red Cross official Ricardo Portugal, who received the bodies. Several prisoners and guards were wounded.
Several hundred inmates attacked guards to stop the transfer of alleged gang leader Marcos Gallegos to another penitentiary more than 200 miles to the south, said prison director Juvenal Reyes.
Gallegos, otherwise known as "the Cowboy" or "the Godfather," is serving 17 years for raping minors, he said. The gang leader, who had been among 38 prisoners scheduled to be transferred, was not among those who escaped.
The rioting sent hundreds of soldiers and police rushing to the penitentiary 10 miles north of Cancun's resort zone. Most of the prison was under control within hours. |
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