Translated by Jesús Ronquillo / Circuito Frontera
Two handguns, a long gun and two grenades were the results of a search inside the State CERESO 3 in Ciudad Juarez, where agents from the State Public Security Secretariat (SSPE), the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE), the Army and the National Guard intervened.
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Jorge Armendariz, spokesman for the SSPE, stated that the search began this Wednesday morning in module one, where the group known as “Artistas Asesinos” is concentrated, after they received an alert that a fight could break out inside the penitentiary.
He pointed out that after the weapons were found, the intervention of a specialized expert was requested to determine how long the weapons had been inside the prison, through an expert analysis that will examine the drying of the concrete that concealed them.
Armendariz stressed that there were no violent incidents during the operation, which was led by the State Police.
When questioned about the appearance of the concrete, the police spokesman indicated that it did not appear to be recent, as the prison has video surveillance systems in the common areas of the Cereso, so he ruled out the possibility that the weapons had been introduced recently.
He mentioned that the review began with module one, but did not provide details on the total number of modules. However, the review process will be extended to practically all the areas of the penitentiary center.
Regarding the number of people inside CERESO 3, he stated that there are a little more than four thousand persons deprived of liberty (PPL), so there is an overcrowding of around 25 percent.
He indicated that although there is a significant overcrowding, some areas have been equipped, so the capacity of the prison system in Ciudad Juarez has increased in recent years.