Chihuahua State Police fire dozens of state prison employees for alleged illicit activities

JUÁREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) -- Chihuahua State Police Chief Gilberto Loya Chávez confirmed to ABC-7 that they laid off 50 state police employees for alleged illegal activity inside state prisons in Chihuahua.

The Chihuahua State Police Department (SSPE) has been overseeing the control of all the CERESOS (state prisons) in the state for the past 34 months since a riot occurred inside CERESO 3 in Juárez in January 2023.

"We've been arresting people, some of whom are prison staff, including guards, workers, and technical personnel, as well as doctors we've detained for trying to smuggle prohibited items," said Chihuahua Police Chief Loya.

"We've found things as absurd as lighters and vape pens, and even items that constitute crimes, like drugs and cell phones, or even attempts to bring in cash," added Chihuahua Police Chief Loya.

This year, Chihuahua state and federal authorities have seized and discovered about 3,000 prohibited items inside CERESOS across the state, compared to more than 30,000 objects seized during the first inspections when this administration took over in 2023.

More updates will be provided in later newscasts.