Saturday, April 19, 2025

Commando uses dynamite-loaded vehicle for Hidalgo jailbreak; 9 inmates freed

Armed men rammed vehicles into a Hidalgo prison and freed nine inmates early Wednesday, state authorities said.

Aided by the detonation of two apparent car bombs in nearby streets, the audacious jailbreak occurred at approximately 4:00 a.m. at a prison in Tula, located about 100 kilometers north of Mexico City.

Local media reports said the vehicle used to ram down the prison door was loaded with dynamite.

One of the freed inmates was the alleged head of a fuel theft gang called Pueblos Unidos. José Artemio Maldonado Mejía, known as “El Michoacano,” was arrested in México state last week on fuel theft, kidnapping, homicide and drug trafficking charges.

The Hidalgo Security Ministry said in a statement that there were clashes between the armed men and prison personnel, adding that two police officers were injured and were receiving medical care. It also said that municipal, state and federal security forces were engaged in an operation to detain the gang members and escaped inmates.

Hidalgo Interior Minister Simón Vargas said “an armed group burst into the prison aboard several vehicles,” adding that “it’s worth noting that near the prison, two vehicles were burned as part of the criminal group’s operation, as a distraction.”

The use of car bombs by Mexican criminal organizations is rare but one such attack in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, in 2010, killed three people. In 2019, explosive devices were found in a vehicle left outside the Pemex refinery in Salamanca, Guanajuato.

While car bombs are rare, cartels frequently set vehicles alight to hinder police operations. So-called narco-blockades have been seen in several states, and Mexico City.

With reports from El Universal, Reforma and AP

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
the harpy eagle

Mystical eagle thought to be extinct in Mexico reappears in Chiapas

4
The discovery of the elusive eagle, announced this month at the Chiapas Birding and Photo Festival, follows nearly a decade of community-led monitoring of the species in the region.
Defense Minister General Ricardo Trevilla Trejo in a video call with General Gregory M. Guillot, commander of the United States Northern Command, on Wednesday.

Fact check: Border crossings and drug seizures are down, but Mexico and US can’t agree on how much

0
Both the United States and Mexico have cited high percentages when discussing border data, but what are the numbers behind the recent reductions in border crossings and fentanyl seizures?
A firefighting helicopter flies over Tepoztlán national park

Conafor: Tepozteco wildfire completely contained after 9 days

0
The El Tepozteco wildfire, which scorched more than 1,200 hectares near Tepoztlán, has been contained after nine days of coordinated firefighting efforts.