A clash between two street gangs linked to the Juarez Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel in a prison in Ciudad Juarez, north Mexico, left 17 people dead and 20 injured.
The confrontation took place at the Centro de Readaptacion Social para Adultos Municipal, where members of the Mexicles, an armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel, attacked members of the Aztecas, an armed wing of the Juarez Cartel.
Reports said that masked and armed inmates, belonging to the Mexicles gang, overpowered guards and took their weapons at about 9 p.m. on Monday. A firefight began, which lasted until authorities regained control of the center around 2 a.m.
According to reports, the state government has said that the violence followed an orgy in the prison on Sunday night, which allegedly involved jailers, drugs, and underage sex workers.
The prison is highly overcrowded, with more than 2,700 inmates in a facility with the capacity for 850.
Authorities found at least five firearms inside the building, which they said must have been smuggled in.