Mexico Prison Raid Seizes 10 Tons of Illegal Items

Chetumal, Mexico — The State Secretariat of Citizen Security has dismantled several "VIP" cells at the Chetumal Center for Social Reintegration (Cereso). The official report indicates that at least ten tons of prohibited items were seized.

Among the confiscated articles were televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, ventilators, and various mobile internet equipment. The Secretary of Citizen Security for the state, Julio César Torres Gómez, confirmed that the items were secured during an inter-institutional operation carried out on October 15, with which authorities seek to put an end to the privileges and excesses that were maintained for years inside the prison.

Julio César Torres Gómez confirmed that the inspection allowed for the detection of a large quantity of objects that "should never have been inside a detention center," such as televisions, refrigerators, stoves, washing machines, ventilators, furniture, and even water purifiers that were controlled by some inmates.

"There were those who had their own stores inside the prison. That should not exist. All of that has been removed," he stated.

The official explained that the operation's objective was to reestablish order, discipline, and legality, fundamental principles for achieving true social reintegration. "If there is no discipline inside the prisons, there is also no possibility of reintegration. We are strengthening dignification and institutional order," he affirmed.

According to the head of Citizen Security, the massive removal of objects and waste occupied more than ten dump trucks, which gives an idea of the level of accumulation and lack of control that prevailed.

"Many people, when there are no rules, accumulate without measure. Everything that by regulation should not have been inside the prison was removed, what was the property of the inmates was labeled to be handed over to their families, and the rest was thrown away," he explained.

Torres Gómez acknowledged that for years there were areas where certain inmates enjoyed privileges, with access to comforts far above the rest, which generated inequality and discontent. "There were cells with up to three or four televisions, coolers, and even hot plates; that is no longer permitted. Each inmate can only have one television per cell, nothing more," he detailed.

Regarding complaints about the alleged reduction of food, Torres Gómez rejected the claims and assured that, on the contrary, the service was improved and regulated. He explained that each inmate now receives their individual portion in an identified container, in order to guarantee that everyone receives the corresponding amount and to avoid the disorder that existed before.

"Until before October 15, food was distributed in common pots; today each person deprived of liberty receives their food individually. Each inmate is given a 'plated' meal in a container, which allows us to verify the quality and quantity of the food," he explained.

The secretary also revealed that purified water was sold inside the prison, controlled by some inmates with access to private purifiers. That practice has now been eliminated.

"The drinking water is delivered free of charge; the deposits are refilled daily with internal purifying plants. Before it was charged for, but that is over. It is not about monopolizing, but about guaranteeing the services that the State must provide," he stated.

Torres Gómez reported that infrastructure work is currently being carried out inside the prison to improve conditions and increase the center's capacity, with the goal of reducing overcrowding in the state penitentiary system.

The operation in Chetumal is part of a state strategy to eradicate the privileges, influence peddling, and internal businesses that operated for years in the penitentiary centers.

"The instruction is clear: no more stores, no more cells with luxuries, no more corruption. All inmates must follow the same rules," the secretary maintained.

He said that with this reorganization, the Secretariat of Citizen Security seeks not only to physically clean the prison but also to reestablish institutional authority and the principle of equality, sending a message that social reintegration begins with discipline, not with privileges.