Federal Social Readaptation Center No. 1

19°25′14″N 99°44′55″W

The Federal Social Readaptation Center No. 1 "Altiplano" (Spanish: Centro Federal de Readaptación Social Número 1 "Altiplano") is a maximum security federal prison of the Secretariat of Public Security in Mexico. It was originally called the Penal de Máxima Seguridad No. 1 "Almoloya de Juárez", later renamed the Federal Social Readaptation Center No. 1 "La Palma"^[1] (Centro Federal de Readaptación Social No. 1 "La Palma"), before assuming its present name. This facility is located in the Santa Juana Centro neighborhood of Almoloya de Juárez, in the State of Mexico,^[2] 25 kilometers (16 mi) from Toluca.^[3]

The prison was built between 1988 and 1990 under President Carlos Salinas de Gortari and received its first inmates in November 1991.^[4][5] Of significant concern to Mexican authorities is the risk that the prison could be attacked from the outside as part of an organized prison break.^[6] Therefore, the walls have been reinforced to as much as 1 meter (3.3 ft) in thickness to discourage ramming. Furthermore, the air space near the facility is restricted, and the authorities claim that cell phone transmissions are limited within 10 km (6.2 mi) of the prison to stymie communications between the inmates and their colleagues outside. Additionally, armored personnel carriers are based near the facility to protect it during a potential assault. This prison was thought to be impenetrable until July 11, 2015, when Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán escaped through a tunnel.

Notable inmates

• Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo (known as "El Padrino" and "El Jefe De Jefes"): The founder of the modern Mexican drug trade, former leader and founder of the Guadalajara Cartel, one of the first Mexican cartels which was formed as an alliance of the Sinaloa Cartel, the Tijuana Cartel, and the Juarez Cartel. The cartel had connections to the Medellin Cartel and the Cali Cartel, and transported cocaine to the United States for them
• Rafael Caro Quintero (known as "El Narco de Narcos"): former drug lord of the Guadalajara Cartel
• Héctor Luis Palma Salazar (known as "El Güero"): former drug lord of the Sinaloa Cartel
• Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán: former drug lord of the Sinaloa Cartel, extradited to the United States on January 19, 2017
• Mario Aburto Martínez: accused assassin of presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio
• Miguel Treviño Morales (known as "Z-40"): former leader of the Los Zetas Cartel, currently transferred to the Federal Center for Social Readaptation (Cefereso) No.17, located in Buenavista Tomatlán, in Tierra Caliente, Michoacán.
• Mario Ramírez Treviño (known as "El Pelón"): former deputy leader of the Gulf Cartel, extradited to the United States on December 18, 2017
• Eduardo Arellano Félix (known as "El Doctor"): former leader of the Tijuana Cartel
• Luis Fernando Sánchez Arellano (known as "El Ingeniero"): former deputy leader of the Tijuana Cartel
• Dionisio Loya Plancarte (known as "El Tío"): former leader of the Knights Templar Cartel
• Servando Gómez Martínez (known as "La Tuta"): former leader of the Knights Templar Cartel
• Omar Treviño Morales (known as "Z-42"): former deputy leader of the Los Zetas Cartel
• Abigael González Valencia (known as "El Cuini"): former deputy leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel
• José Maria Guizar Valencia (known as "Z-43"): former top lieutenant of the Los Zetas Cartel
• Ovidio Guzmán López (known as "El Ratón"): former high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel, extradited to the United States on September 15, 2023
• José Antonio Yépez Ortiz (known as "El Marro"): former leader of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel
• Daniel Arizmendi López (known as "El Mochaorejas"): leader of Kidnapping express, a kidnapping gang^[7]
• Various alleged members of the Los Zetas Cartel: Jaime González Durán (known as "El Hummer"), Nabor Vargas García (known as "El Débora") and "El Barbas"^[8][9][10]
• Teodoro García Simental (known as "El Teo"): drug lord who broke off from the Arellano Félix organization^[11]
• Various alleged Zapatistas^[12][13]
• Marco Antonio García Simental (known as "El Cris" & "El 8-9"): lieutenant in the Arellano Félix organization and older brother of "El Teo".

In popular culture

The 2017 Netflix-Univision series, El Chapo, depicts Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán's incarceration and experience in the prison, and his escape through a tunnel on July 11, 2015, which disproved the assumption that the prison was impenetrable.

References

1. "ARTURO GUZMAN LOERA, ALIAS “EL POLLO GUZMAN” CAPTURED Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine." Government of Mexico. September 7, 2001. Retrieved on February 28, 2011. "[...]at the Federal Social Readaptation Center “La Palma”"
2. "Centro Federal de Readaptación Social N°1 "Altiplano" Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine" COFEMER. Retrieved on February 28, 2011.
3. "CENTROS FEDERALES DE READAPTACIÓN SOCIAL." (Archive) Secretariat of Public Security. 4/8. Retrieved on February 28, 2011. "Ubicación En el Estado de México, en el municipio de Almoloya de Juárez, aproximadamente a 25 kilómetros de la ciudad de Toluca."
4. Centros Federales^{[permanent dead link]}
5. Antecedentes^{[permanent dead link]}
6. "Refuerzan seguridad en La Palma" (in Spanish). 2005-08-25. Archived from the original on 2009-04-02. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
7. "'El Mochaorejas' preso en la carcel Almoloya de Juarez: Algunos" (in Spanish). 1998-08-28. Retrieved 2009-01-28.^{[dead link]}
8. "Trasladan a Zetas al penal del Altiplano en Edomex" (in Spanish). 2008-01-11. Retrieved 2009-01-27.
9. "Trasladan a El Hummer al penal del Altiplano" (in Spanish). 2008-09-11. Archived from the original on March 25, 2009. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
10. "Van "El Débora" y "El Barbas" a penales federales" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2007-05-03.
11. "Trasladan a El Teo a penal de El Altiplano" (in Spanish). 2010-01-13. Archived from the original on 2010-01-17. Retrieved 2009-01-13.
12. "Castigan a Héctor Galindo, preso político en el penal del Altiplano" (in Spanish). 2008-08-30. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
13. "After the Repression in Atenco and More than Six Months Setting up the Protest Camp, Only Five People Maintain It". 2007-02-01. Retrieved 2008-11-09.

External links

• "CENTROS FEDERALES DE READAPTACIÓN SOCIAL." (Archive) Secretariat of Public Security.
• "Centro Federal de Readaptación Social N°1 "Altiplano"" COFEMER.