Mexican Prison Riot Leaves Ten Dead, Including Child

A riot at the El Castillo Penitentiary in Mazatlan, Mexico, resulted in the deaths of ten people, including a child, authorities reported.

The violence began Thursday morning during visiting hours. According to local media, firearms were discharged inside the facility, with gunshots audible from outside the prison perimeter. Sinaloa's public security secretariat confirmed that nine inmates and one family member were killed. It remains unclear if the child among the deceased was an inmate.

Sixteen inmates sustained injuries and were taken for medical treatment following the firefight.

Mexican military forces, including the army, national guard, navy, and state security forces, were deployed to the scene. The prison, which currently houses 1,800 inmates, has been brought back under control, according to Mexico's federal security cabinet.

Experts attribute ongoing violence and corruption within Mexican jails to factors such as overcrowding, exacerbated by the extensive use of pretrial detention, and insufficient staffing. This incident follows a riot in May at a prison in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa, which resulted in seven inmate deaths and one injury.

Mexico operates 276 prisons, comprising 14 federal penitentiaries and 249 state prisons. As of February, the national prison population stood at 261,388.

The region of Sinaloa has experienced significant violence since September 2024, stemming from an internal power struggle within the Sinaloa Cartel. This conflict has pitted the sons of former drug lord Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, known as 'Los Chapitos,' against supporters of another incarcerated cartel leader, Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada.

The riot occurred amid increased pressure from former U.S. President Donald Trump on the Mexican government to intensify its crackdown on cartels. In January, Trump stated his intention to initiate land strikes against cartels in Mexico, asserting that cartels were controlling the country.