132 escape from Mexican prison near U.S.

A group of Mexican federal police stand in front of the prison in Piedras Negras, Mexico, on Sept. 17, 2012. / AP Photo

(AP) PIEDRAS NEGRAS, Mexico - More than 130 inmates escaped Monday from a state prison in northern Mexico, setting off a search by federal police and soldiers in an area close to the U.S. border.

Police have detained the director of the prison in the city of Piedras Negras and two other employees for investigation in the break of 132 prisoners, said Homero Ramos Gloria, Coahuila's State Attorney General.

Police units and Mexican army convoys were deployed outside the city, which sits across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas, to search for the inmates and authorities in Coahuila state offered rewards of up to $15,000 for information leading to the arrests of each prisoner. Visitors were kicked out of the prison but stayed outside waiting for news of relatives.

Ramos said in a press conference that 86 of the inmates were serving sentences or pending trials for federal crimes, such as drug trafficking, and the rest faced state charges. He did not provide details on how the escape occurred.

Other Mexican states have said in the past that they are not prepared to handle highly dangerous federal prisoners.

Coahuila has seen a wave of violence tied to the brutal Zetas cartel's battles with the Sinaloa cartel, allies of the now weakened Gulf Cartel.

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Authorities in Coahuila did not say which gang was believed to be behind the prison break.

Last week, Gulf cartel leader Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sanchez was arrested, leading experts to anticipate an increase in violence in parts of northern Mexico as the Zetas Cartel attempted to take over turf.

In December 2010, 153 inmates escaped from a prison in the northern city of Nuevo Laredo, right across Laredo, Texas. Authorities charged 41 guards with aiding the inmates in that escape. Mexico's drug gangs frequently try to break their members out of prison.

[ORWELLIAN777]

Then American male is a coward by nature, and the American public are little less than corporate/media lapdogs. As long as these "Heroes" can shoot a man in the back, they are happy. Fortunately, the writing is on the wall, and judgement is coming for the vile, American wicked: ISAIAH 66:24. Most of the time, these events are orchestrated by the very people reporting them. But, since the American is a perverse, and immoral lapdog, they will tolerate anything that involves hurting other people, both domestically, or abroad. The day of your visitation is hurrying fast.

[djseavy]

Oh yeah. They will be labeled "Victims" by a bunch of social workers and offered free everything. How do we think we can win the war in the Mid-East? We can't even control the crime capitol of the world that's just across our border!

[tsigili]

They probably all just walked across the US border. NO ONE is stopping them!

[lillyhorton]

Is the US government welcoming them over with a job, free food and free shelter?

[karek40]

More illegals that will get social security.