Cancun, Q.R. –A Guatemalan prison escapee that was arrested in Merida for shoplifting has been returned to his country. Authorities from the Public Security Secretariat (SSP) of Yucatan arrested 49 year old Rudy Augusto Ortiz Morales, alias El Smoking, Friday.
He was eventually transferred to Cancun from where he was flown back to Guatemala. Ortiz Morales is reported to be a prison escapee and a member of the Barrio 18 gang from Guatemala.
According to authorities, he had escaped from the Fraijanes 2 Guatemala prison in May of 2023 where he was serving a sentence since 2009 for murder and criminal association. His escape was successful after claiming the identity of a deceased inmate.
Police tracked him to Mexico where he is reported to have lived in Tapachula, Chiapas, before moving to Tabasco and finally to Merida, Yucatan. He was arrested last week with five women for shoplifting.
Elements of Secretaría de Seguridad Pública (SSP) of Yucatan made the shoplifting arrest in the city of Merida last week.
National Migration Institute (INM ) officers transferred Ortiz Morales to the Cancun International Airport for deportation. He was escorted by Interpol Mexico personnel to La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City.
