“El Credo” extorted inmates of Topo Chico

The rule of organized crime at the Topo Chico prison in Monterrey enabled some inmates to enjoy privileges while the majority of the prison population lived in cramped cells, with up to 10 people in a place only big enough to fit a bunk bed.

Jesús Iván Hernández Cantú, “El Credo”, leader of one of the factions that since 2012 held control of the prison, was accompanied by a woman in his king size bed on the day of the riot, that left 49 dead and 12 injured.

When the attack began the rioters, led by Juan Pedro Saldívar, “el Z-27”, failed to reach the cell of “El Credo” due to the number of prisoners who guarded him. He also had a 50-inch screen in his cell.

Roberto Flores, attorney general of Nuevo León, revealed this in a radio interview and admitted that this situation could only happen in collusion with the prison authorities of Topo Chico.

Relatives of the inmates of Topo Chico say that “El Credo” charged up to 5,000 pesos per week as extortion.

He ruled in the prison until November 2015, when Saldívar, another drug lord and alleged member of “Los Zetas”, managed to get transferred to Topo Chico from a maximum security prison in Matamoros.

So far three people have been arrested in connection with the case: Gregoria Salazar Robles, director of the prison, and Jesús Fernando Domínguez Jaramillo, Deputy Commissioner, both accused of qualified homicide and abuse of authority, and José Reyes Hernández, a warden accused of qualified homicide.