Mexican high-risk inmate transfers

Mexican authorities have initiated efforts to transfer high-risk inmates from state-run facilities to federal or maximum-security prisons to curb criminal activity and instability.

In Puebla, the Public Security Secretariat (SSP) sought to transfer 20 high-risk individuals, including José Christian N., known as ‘El Bukanas,’ from the San Miguel prison to federal penitentiaries. Officials indicated they might refine the list to increase the chances of approval due to limited federal space. The SSP also noted that recent protests at the San Miguel facility appeared to be organized by specific groups rather than inmates' families.

In Morelos, a coordinated operation involving federal and state forces, as well as the Mexican Air Force, resulted in the transfer of eight high-risk inmates to the Cefereso 18 maximum-security prison in Coahuila. This move was intended to dismantle extortion networks, as the inmates were reportedly conducting ‘cobro de piso’ (protection racket) and extortion calls from their cells. Additionally, 304 women were relocated from the Atlacholoaya prison to a new Female Reinsertion Center in Cuernavaca, which features specialized infrastructure for medical care and specific demographic needs.