MEXICO CITY - As they closed down the last island penal colony in the hemisphere after more than a century, Mexican authorities faced a conundrum: they had lost track of 16 inmates registered at the Islas Marias prison. Most were later located at other prisons on the mainland, Francisco Garduno, the head of Mexico’s prison system, said Friday. They had apparently been transferred from the penal colony but not struck from its rolls. Islas Marias was the last of its kind, the final of a half dozen island penal colonies that were scattered around Latin America. It was unclear if the inmates tried to get to the mainland — historically, most who tried drowned in the attempt — or headed into the hills of the main island.

Source: thestar March 23, 2019 02:13 UTC