Monday, September 21, 2015

EL CHAPO’S EMBARRASSING ESCAPE CLEANUP

The former chief of Mexico’s federal prisons and 12 other prison officials have reportedly been arrested because of El Chapo’s escape

It was bound to happen. Sinaloa Cartel chief Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s escape from Altiplano Prison No. 1 last July was a humongous embarrassment to the Mexican government. Heads were bound to roll, and they have.

Immediately after El Chapo’s escape, federal prisons chief Celina Oseguera Parra was fired. Then seven officials were taken into custody, including two from the federal police and two from the National Security Agency. Four of the seven were later released and the remaining three were charged with failing to activate the “Code Red”, delaying notification of the escape, and not following protocols.

Now the hammer has fallen on some high ranking officials. Although the Attorney General’s office is being secretive, sources from within that office have told Reforma that there have been 13 arrests made in connection withEl Chapo’s escape, including the arrest of Celina Oseguera Parra. Also reportedly arrested were:

Valentin Cardenas Lerma, a former prison director of Altiplano Prison No. 1.

Leonor García García, former legal director of the Altiplano No. 1.

Custodial chief Roberto Cruz Bernal.

Chief of security Miguel Ángel Flores Mirafuentes.

Herminio González Albarrán, in charge of monitoring.

Reyes Mora Carrillo, one of the top 3 federal police working at the prison.

And prison workers Jaime Galindo Hernández, Oswaldo Gastón Veytia Rodríguez and Agustín Jiménez Molina, Miguel Ángel Cortes Carrillo, Erick Sorcia Martínez, Arturo Hernández Hernández.

According to Refprma, all of those arrested are being held in Altiplano Prison No. 1, the very same prison from which El Chapo escaped.

In the meantime, despite an intensive international manhunt and pictures posted on social media by his son showing his father enjoying the good life, El Chapo remains at large.

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