2 March 2023
EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — An Egyptian hairless cat with gang tattoos that police rescued from a Mexican prison has found a forever home across the border.
The cat was among nine other pets the inmates had at the Cereso No. 3 state prison in Juarez.
The cat had been tattooed with an “Hecho en Mexico” or “Made in Mexico” logo used by the Mexicles gang.
Officers searched prison cells following a prison break that left 10 guards and seven inmates dead on New Year’s Day.
These photos provided by the Chihuahua State Police show the cat that was found inside a cell at Cereso prison in Juarez after a New Year’s Day riot and jail break. (Courtesy: La Secretaría de Seguridad Pública del Estado de Chihuahua)
Investigators say several heavily armed individuals rushed the prison as the gates opened to visitors and killed three guards before proceeding to a cell block where Mexicles gang leader Ernesto “El Neto” Alfredo Piñon was being held.
The assailants, identified as members of the Mexicles gang, rounded up seven prison guards and shot them execution-style before making off with “El Neto.” Police killed the gang leader in a shootout days later and have since recaptured the majority of the 30 inmates who escaped.
In addition to several animals, authorities found plasma TV sets, drugs, liquor and cash, as well as musical instruments, and even a mechanical bull inside several cells.
The cat was put up for adoption, and immediately garnered interest from hundreds of people around the world.
A special committee set up by the city of Juarez whittled the number of adoption applicants to 10, including seven from the U.S., two from Juarez and one from the state of Oaxaca. The committee reportedly voted unanimously to have the cat sent to a new country, thus sending it to the U.S.
The adoption was not without controversy. Local animal shelters ask authorities to let the public know that they, too, have hundreds of cats up for adoption, and not focus on just one cat.
The identity of the tattooed cat’s new owner will not be unveiled for safety reasons.