By Xinhua,
Mexico City : Rioting Guatemalan prisoners have beheaded a senior prison official, reports reaching here from Guatemala City on Friday said.
The deputy, Jorge Augusto Mendoza, was beheaded by rioters shortly before midnight Thursday in Chimaltenango prison, some 50 km west of the capital Guatemala City.
Angry prisoners also gouged out Mendoza’s eyes and cut off his arms, said Penitentiary System spokesperson Nery Morales, adding that the director of the prison and three guards were injured.
Police regained control of the prison Friday, Morales added.
He said the riot began after two women were caught trying to smuggle drugs into the prison during visiting hours, while the inmates said it was a reaction to guard brutality.
The inmates belong to the street gang Mara 18, regarded as the most violent group in Central America. The prison holds more than 60 gang members, 33 of whom have already been condemned for various crimes, including kidnapping and murder.