Tula prison break

{{Infobox military conflict

| conflict = Tula prison break

| place = Tula de Allende, Hidalgo, Mexico

| date = 1 December 2021

| partof = the Mexican drug war

| combatant1 = * Gangsters

Prisoners

| combatant2 = {{flagicon|Mexico}}Mexican police

| result = Prison break successful

Nine inmates freed
Cartel boss escaped
Mexico promises to recapture inmates

| casualties2 = 2 injured

| coordinates = {{Coord|20.0603|-99.3617|region:MX|display=title}}

| map_type = Mexico Hidalgo

}}

On 1 December 2021, a gang of armed men broke into a prison in Tula de Allende, Hidalgo state, Mexico.{{Cite web|date=2021-12-02|title=Brazen prison break sees nine escape with help of armed men|url=https://www.riviera-maya-news.com/brazen-prison-break-sees-nine-escape-with-help-of-armed-men/2021.html|access-date=2021-12-02|website=Riviera Maya News|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-12-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202145521/https://www.riviera-maya-news.com/brazen-prison-break-sees-nine-escape-with-help-of-armed-men/2021.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|date=2021-12-01|title=Gangsters use vehicles to ram into Mexico prison and free nine inmates|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/01/mexico-prison-break-car-bombs|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-02|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-date=2021-12-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201220640/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/01/mexico-prison-break-car-bombs}}

Incident

At around 4am on 1 December 2021, gangsters arrived at the building, they proceeded to car-ram and then blow up a pair of vehicles, catching the prison guards' attention. Gunshots were fired by the criminals.{{Cite web|title=Car bomb prison break frees nine inmates in Mexico|url=https://ca.news.yahoo.com/car-bomb-prison-break-frees-023900527.html|access-date=2021-12-02|website=ca.news.yahoo.com|date=2 December 2021 |language=en-CA|archive-date=2021-12-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202184927/https://ca.news.yahoo.com/car-bomb-prison-break-frees-023900527.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|title=El espectacular ataque con autos bomba a un penal en México del que escaparon 9 reos|language=es|work=BBC Mundo|url=https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-59499637|access-date=2021-12-02|archive-date=2021-12-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201224238/https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-59499637|url-status=live}}

Just as local security forces began to react, two more cars exploded, allowing the gang to successfully storm the jail.{{Cite web|date=2021-12-02|title=Dramatic breakout as gang rams vehicles into prison in Mexico|url=https://www.euronews.com/2021/12/02/dramatic-breakout-as-gang-rams-vehicles-into-prison-in-mexico|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-02|website=euronews|language=en|archive-date=2021-12-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202123732/https://www.euronews.com/2021/12/02/dramatic-breakout-as-gang-rams-vehicles-into-prison-in-mexico}}

Aftermath

Nine inmates were freed,{{Cite web|date=2021-12-02|title=Gang rams vehicles into prison, springs 9 inmates|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/mexico-mexico-city-police-national-guard-ciudad-juarez-b1968172.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-02|website=The Independent|language=en|archive-date=2021-12-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202184925/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/mexico-mexico-city-police-national-guard-ciudad-juarez-b1968172.html}} including José Artemio Maldonado Mejía, more well known as "El Michoacano", a local drug lord and head of a Mexican drug cartel, the Pueblos Unidos. The next day, Mexican police managed to recapture three inmates and 8 criminals involved in the prison raid.{{Cite web|date=2021-12-02|title=Ya son 8 detenidos y 3 recapturados tras fuga en penal de Tula|url=https://www.tvazteca.com/aztecanoticias/tula-fuga-detenidos-recapturados-mej|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-02|website=TV Azteca|language=es|archive-date=2021-12-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202184927/https://www.tvazteca.com/aztecanoticias/tula-fuga-detenidos-recapturados-mej}}

Two law enforcement officers, one a policeman and the second a guard, were injured in the attack.

The government of Hidalgo has launched an investigation aiming to track the criminals down. The program is still ongoing.

Car bombs are a rare occurrence in Mexico; the most notable example of their usage occurring in 2010.{{Cite web|last=Carillo|first=Gerardo|date=2021-12-01|title=Gang rams vehicles into prison, springs 9 inmates|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/gang-rams-vehicles-into-prison-springs-9-inmates-1.5690074|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-02|website=CTVNews|language=en|archive-date=2021-12-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202044040/https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/gang-rams-vehicles-into-prison-springs-9-inmates-1.5690074}}