A severe altercation at the El Castillo Penitentiary Centre in Mazatlan, located in Mexico’s northwestern Sinaloa state, has claimed ten lives and left sixteen others wounded, according to state authorities. The Sinaloa Public Security Secretariat confirmed on Thursday that the incident involved nine inmates and one family visitor.
Sinaloa Secretary of Public Security Sinuhe Tellez disclosed via a social media video that the deceased visitor was a minor. Following the outbreak of violence, security forces launched an inter-institutional operation to suppress the disturbance. Authorities stated that the facility is now under control, though officials remain on-site.
The sixteen injured inmates were transported to medical facilities for treatment. Tellez noted that social work personnel are currently reaching out to the families of those killed. As a precautionary measure, prison visits have been suspended, and officials confirmed that the remainder of the inmate population is safe.
Sinaloa remains a focal point of intense rivalry among warring factions of the Sinaloa drug cartel. It is one of six Mexican states where the US State Department has advised against travel due to significant security concerns. Authorities have not yet determined whether the prison violence is connected to the broader cartel conflict.
Sinaloa prisons are chaotic. Suspending visits is understandable, but it won’t fix the root causes.
Is this really linked to the cartel war, or just another power struggle inside? Authorities seem unsure.
The fact that a minor visitor died is absolutely heartbreaking. How does this keep happening?