Two federal inmates at a prison in Sinaloa walked out the front door to freedom early yesterday.

The two men, both of whom were identified as drug cartel operators, were dressed as prison guards when they walked out of the Culiacán penitentiary at about 3:00am, accompanied by two other people.

C4 security center officials noted what was described as unusual activity in the prison parking lot and that three people had appeared leaving the prison at the front entrance. They were advised by the prison surveillance camera operator that there was a shift change taking place.

C4 then observed that four people, all dressed as prison guards, left the facility, boarded four private vehicles and left at high speed, which prompted them to sound an alert.

Sinaloa’s public security secretary said the two inmates were Julián Grimaldi Paredes and Carlos Jesús Salomón Higuera, both of whom had been linked to ambushing and killing police and military personnel at incidents in 2012 and 2016.

They were facing homicide, weapons and drug charges. Grimaldi has been identified as a financial operator with the Sinaloa Cartel and Salomón as a member of the Beltrán Leyva cartel.

Both were being held in a new section of the jail and had to clear six checkpoints before leaving the building.

Source: El Universal (sp)