Photo: Former Monterrey Mayor Adalberto Madero arrested in connection to casino fire
Adalberto Madero, former Mayor of Monterrey, Mexico, has been arrested in connection with the fire at the Casino Royale in August that killed 52 people.
An official from the federal district attorney’s office said Madero was taken to a medium-security prison in Apodaca, near Monterrey.
In September, the current mayor’s brother was arrested after video surveillance showed him in the casino allegedly extorting money just days before the fire.
Madero was once part of the country’s National Action Party, but was expelled after being accused of corruption. Fox News Latino reported that he allegedly authorized the municipal permits for the Casino Royale though it was not in compliance with regulations set by the Government Secretariat, which regulates Mexico’s gaming establishments.
It has long been known that government and police officials have been working with or for the country’s drug cartels, and on August 25, Los Zetas gunmen told the police inside the ill-fated casino to get out before ultimately locking the doors and setting the establishment on fire. In the end, 7 people burned to death, while 52 died of smoke inhalation.
