Mexican authorities transfer 200+ high-ranked prisoners from Chihuahua prisons

JUAREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) -- This week, Chihuahua state authorities and Mexican federal authorities conducted an operation to transfer 209 prisoners from three state jails to multiple federal prisons in Mexico.

According to Gilberto Loya, Chihuahua's Public Safety Secretary, they transferred these inmates because state jails in Chihuahua do not have the physical or legal capabilities to have them there.

"They are considered by us (Chihuahua) and by the federal prison system as highly dangerous people," Loya said.

Loya also said that out of those 209 inmates, 82 were transferred from CERESO 3, Chihuahua's state prison in Juárez.

They were taken to prisons in the State of Mexico, Sinaloa, Sonora, Guanajuato, Durango, and Michoácan.

All these prisoners were booked or are still on trial due to several crimes, such as carrying firearms for the exclusive use of the Mexican army, homicide, fraud, crimes against health, aggravated robbery, and some who were involved with the prison breakout from CERESO 3 in Juarez on January 1, 2023.

This operation was carried out by Mexico's National Defense Secretary, the Mexican National Guard, Chihuahua's Secretary of Public Safety, and the Chihuahua Attorney General's Office, among others.

Neither Chihuahua or Mexican authorities said how many inmates were left at CERESO 3 in Juárez.