Mexican authorities on Monday raised the death toll to 17 in an attack on a prison aimed at freeing a local gang leader across the southern border from El Paso, Texas.
Security Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez said 10 of the dead were prison guards who were attacked by armed men who arrived early Sunday in armored vehicles and fired at the entrance and inside the dormitories.
In all, 25 inmates escaped during the violence. They were members of the Mexicles gang, which Rodríguez associated with the Caborca Cartel. Gang leader Mexicles was among those who escaped, he said.
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The Mexican National Guard stands guard outside a state prison in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, on Sunday. Mexican soldiers and state troopers retook control of a state prison in Ciudad Juárez, across the border from El Paso, Texas, after violence broke out, according to state officials.
(AP Photo/Christian Chavez)
The Caborca Cartel had been led by drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, who was recaptured by authorities in July.
When the authorities entered the prison, they found 10 “VIP” cells equipped with televisions and other amenities. One even had a safe full of cash. Cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl and marijuana were also found in the prison.
Two other gunmen killed after attacking local police shortly before the prison attack were likely a diversion, Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said. They were not included in the 17 deaths, which included 10 guards and seven inmates.
The state prison was the scene of a riot in August that spilled over into the streets of Juárez, leaving nearly a dozen dead.
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In that case, two inmates were killed inside the prison and then suspected gang members began shooting into the town, even killing four radio station employees who were doing a restaurant promotion.
Bradford Betz of Fox News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
