“Sol Prendido” for Borderland Beat
A two-year-old boy died following a brawl yesterday at the El Castillo prison in Mazatlán. This clash, which broke out inside the El Castillo Penitentiary Center—located south of Mazatlán—left ten people dead, including the two-year-old boy who was visiting with his family; sixteen inmates were injured.
The incident occurred yesterday morning when gunfire was reported inside the prison, specifically near Module 4, before spreading to other areas of the El Castillo facility. The emergency triggered a major security operation involving Navy personnel—who deployed a helicopter to fly over the area—as well as Army troops, the National Guard’s riot squad, and police officers from various agencies.
Amidst the deployment, ambulances were constantly entering and leaving the prison to transport the injured for medical care. The Secretary of Public Security, Sinuhé Téllez López, ruled out the possibility that armed outsiders had entered the prison. He noted that they are investigating the possibility that the inmates themselves possessed firearms and fired at one another; in fact, two firearms were seized.
It was confirmed that the two-year-old boy was the son of a woman who had gone to visit her husband; she had left the child there while she went to pick up her other child from school. As a preventive measure, visits have been suspended, and the Sinaloa Attorney General’s Office is conducting the corresponding investigation, Azucena.
Where did the weapons come from? That is the question, isn’t it? Because this has happened before—at the Badiraguato facility and other prisons—yet the tragedy keeps repeating itself. Hold on a moment, Felicitos. We are going to try speaking with an official again; meanwhile, Yos Trujillo, we continue with you regarding this brawl—or rather, this riot and shootout—that took place at the El Castillo Penitentiary in Mazatlán, Sinaloa.
Ten people died: nine inmates and a child, barely two years old, who was visiting his mother—since it was a visitation day. How did those weapons get in there? That is the eternal question. How do inmates continue to communicate with the outside world via cell phones and internet access? That is the age-old question.
And well, this is the first major challenge—among many in Sinaloa—facing interim governor Graciela Domínguez. She isn’t answering calls, nor are the secretary or the prosecutor; in short, they are banking on the public forgetting about it. But ten deaths is madness, and there needs to be an explanation as to how those weapons got there. Exactly.
In fact, Public Security Secretary Cinete López stated yesterday, upon leaving the penitentiary, that investigations were underway to determine exactly how the weapons were brought in—specifically, whether prison staff facilitated their entry. For the time being, however, two 9mm weapons have been seized. The incident—or the shootout—reportedly began in Module 4 and spread to Module 5.
It is unclear, Azucena, exactly where this two-year-old boy was located. It was confirmed only that his mother had left him there with his father—it was a visitation day—and the circumstances remain unknown; the child died as a result of the gunfire. Authorities are currently investigating, and there will likely be constant searches—much like those at the Culiacán prison, where weapons continue to be found despite regular inspections.
It is worth noting that no firearms have been detected recently, at least not at the Culiacán facility. Now, however, searches at the Mazatlán prison are set to intensify. Regarding the recent violence, Azucena, there were ten deaths in that specific incident, but the state total reached eighteen. There were various murders outside the prison in Mazatlán as well—a woman and two men killed—plus five here in Culiacán, bringing the total to eighteen. For the third consecutive day, Sinaloa ranks first nationwide for homicides.
There were eight yesterday, seven the day before, and that is how things have been going. Today, the governor has an agenda in Escuinapa—another area where violence has been intense, particularly regarding the murder of women; the state’s death toll for women has now surpassed one hundred. She will be inaugurating a “peace initiative” and leading a justice and security roundtable for women in Escuinapa.
Well, I would tell the secretary that he doesn’t need to investigate much. And I say this not because you or I are experts, but really—how do the weapons get in? Because of corrupt individuals, because of corruption, because people turn a blind eye, because there is complicity. How else would weapons get in? Why do we try to fool ourselves? It’s very simple. It’s very simple. How do cell phones get in? How do knives and sharp weapons get in? How do firearms get in? Because of corrupt individuals—because they are colluding with criminals, or perhaps because they are being threatened. There are many explanations, but they all point to corruption and impunity, since there is no punishment. I assume the Secretary knows this, right?
So, let’s not be fed a line about how “we’re going to investigate.” How did it get in? It’s very simple: when you enter a prison, you get searched from head to toe. I don’t know if women are still required to wear specific clothing—certain skirts or shoes—but they undergo rigorous searches; the same goes for men. So how do these weapons get through?
Come on, really? Let’s stop fooling ourselves and stop trying to read tea leaves. Well, let’s see what they say later on. Thanks for your report. We’ll stay tuned. Have a great day. And it’s not just about watching out for external threats—like those artificial intelligence laws targeting political cartoonists and commentators—we need to watch out for what’s happening *inside*. Who do you think was heading an extortion ring using artificial intelligence? Not an ordinary citizen, but a former official from Michoacán, along with police officers and family members.
Source: Grupo Formula