In Tacos And Quesadillas, More Than 2,000 Doses Of Drugs Are Brought Into Oaxaca’s Prisons

Some prisons, such as Cuicatlán, have not registered the presence of drugs, while others, such as San Francisco Tanivet, have topped the list of seizures since January.

In Oaxaca, despite the security measures and established filters, in the last six months the illegal entry of more than two thousand doses of various drugs and around two thousand prohibited objects, such as knives and cell phones, was detected in the 10 prisons of the state, especially in the San Francisco Tanivet prison.

These items were introduced illegally through food, hidden in visitors’ cavities or with the complicity of guards.

The Undersecretary of Prevention and Social Reintegration of the Secretariat of Citizen Protection, Roberto Claudio Castillo Ramírez, reported that they discovered unusual methods to introduce drugs into prisons, such as the discovery of marijuana in tacos and quesadillas.

Other identified methods include the use of body cavities of women who attend conjugal visits, as well as the complicity of guards linked to organized crime cells.

To date, seven members have been dismissed and charged for their participation in these activities.

Although random and permanent checks are carried out, the undersecretary assures that packages or wrappers with drugs continue to be found inside prisons, some of them large and not broken down into doses.

In the last six months, 2,012 doses of drugs have been seized. However, when comparing this figure with the 2,923 doses seized in 2023, a minimal decrease is observed. The challenge continues to be to completely eliminate the entry of drugs into Oaxaca prisons.

Castillo Ramírez explained that the most commonly seized drug is marijuana, followed by crystal meth, heroin and, to a lesser extent, cocaine.

Which are the prisons with the most seizures in Oaxaca?

As for the prisons with the highest number of seizures, the San Francisco Tanivet men’s prison in Tlacolula de Matamoros, which houses more than 1,600 prisoners, tops the list.

Next in line are the Miahuatlán Social Rehabilitation Center in Porfirio Díaz, the Tehuantepec prison, the Villa de Etla prison and the Tuxtepec prison, as well as Juquila. The women’s prison also registered two seizures.

On the other hand, Undersecretary Claudio Castillo Ramírez also pointed out that there are prisons where no drugs were found, such as the Cuicatlán prison, where all the inmates are from indigenous communities.

“They themselves do not allow the use of substances inside the prison. It is not a matter of self-government, but it is an issue that we are working on together to discourage drug use.”

In the psychiatric annex, no drugs have been reported either, because family visits are not allowed and it is a space intended for people treated with controlled medications.

In the juvenile prison, a pilot reintegration plan is being implemented, completely eradicating drug use there.

Sources: Milenio, Milenio Youtube