Renowned cartel leader Moises Escamilla “Gordo” May – serving a 37-year prison sentence for decapitating 12 people, among other crimes – has died of Covid-19 in the federal section of Guadalajara’s Puente Grande prison.
The prisoner presented respiratory problems on May 6 and died two days later in hospital, a bulletin said.
Escamilla, 47, was a regional leader of Los Zetas cartel and was arrested in August 2008 in Cancun, from where he ran his cocaine distribution operation. When active, he was considered one of Mexico’s most dangerous and bloodthirsty drug operatives.
As many as 80 inmates at the Puente Grande penitentiary have been infected by Covid-19, the state health department confirms, and strict isolation and security measures have been implemented there, according to prison authorities.
In April, the Mexican Senate approved an amnesty bill that would allow prisoners serving sentence for minor/non-violent crimes to be prematurely released in order to reduce the transmission of the coronavirus.