The first 2,000 gang members were transferred this Friday to a mega-prison, “the largest in America,” designed to house 40,000 criminals, El Salvador’s president Nayib Bukele announced, declaring “war” on these groups.
“At dawn, in a single operation, we transferred the first 2,000 gang members to the Terrorism Containment Center (CECOT),” President Bukele said on Twitter, referring to the mega-prison.
The gigantic penitentiary, equipped with high-tech surveillance, was opened by Bukele himself in early February.
Built in a rural valley on the outskirts of the town of Tecoluca, about 74 km southeast of the capital San Salvador, the detention center is distinguished by its strict access controls.
Hundreds of police, security and military personnel took part in the handover operation. In the giant prison detainees, mainly belonging to the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18 gangs, they entered the cells in groups.
The prison was built to house some of the just over 64,000 gang members detained to date under the exceptional regime enacted by Congress. at Bukele’s request, in response to an escalation of violence that left 87 people dead between 25 and 27 March 2022.
To build the prison, the state purchased 166 hectares, of which 23 hectares house eight pavilions, located in a perimeter surrounded by a concrete wall 11 meters high and 2.1 kilometers long, protected by electrified barbed wire.
Source: DN
