41 Mexican prison guards charged in mass jailbreak

Dec. 28, 2010 06:19 PM
Associated Press

MEXICO CITY - More than 40 prison guards have been charged with helping 153 inmates escape from a prison in a northern Mexican border city.

The federal Attorney General's office says in a statement that 41 guards have been accused of opening the gates of the prison in Nuevo Laredo, across the border from Laredo, Texas. If convicted, the guards face up to 20 years in prison.

Authorities initially said 141 prisoners escaped Dec. 17, but the statement Monday said the number was 153.

The fugitives were being held for trial or had been convicted of crimes ranging from robbery to drug trafficking.

Tamaulipas has been torn by turf battles between the Gulf and Zetas drug gangs, but it was unclear whether any of the inmates belonged to those groups.

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