Cartel leader serving 224-year sentence escapes from ‘luxury’ cell in Mexican jail

Mexican police have launched a manhunt for a deadly cartel leader after a mass prison escape from “VIP” cells where he had a Jacuzzi and plasma screen television.

Officials said a dozen “luxury” cells had been found in the jail in Ciudad Juarez, in the border state of Chihuahua, after the breakout.

“El Neto,” the leader of a cartel called Los Mexicles, was among those who had lived in them.

Dozens of inmates broke out of the jail at the weekend after it was attacked by Los Mexicles members in armoured cars. The breakout led to the deaths of 10 prison guards and seven inmates.

At least seven more people were killed in a subsequent gun battle as police tried to recapture some of them.