Monterrey Building Where 52 People Were Killed in 2011 Was Demolished

"MX" for Borderland Beat

The attack took place in Casino Royale in Monterrey. It is one of the deadliest incident in Mexico's ongoing drug war.

The casino building in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, where 52 people were killed by Los Zetas in August 2011, was demolished earlier this month.

According to local media reporters, the demolition was carried out by a private company. It is unknown if there will be another construction in place, but several workers at the site said that there may be a project there in the next six months. No further information was given.

The mass murder case at this location resonated around the world in 2011 because of the number of people who lost their lives in this attack. The majority of the victims were women, including one who was pregnant.

Investigators confirmed that the attack was carried out by Los Zetas, at that time one of the biggest criminal groups in Mexico. Armed assailants burst into the casino on a Thursday afternoon, swearing and shouting for customers and employees to get out. Their plan was to set the casino on fire for failing to pay an extortion fee set by the cartel.

But many of the terrified victims fled farther inside the building, where they died trapped amid the flames and thick smoke that soon billowed out of the building. 52 people were killed.

Former President Felipe Calderon described the incident as the worst attack on innocent civilians in Mexico.

"We are not confronting common criminals," he said in a televised nationwide address. "We are facing true terrorists who have gone beyond all limits."

Days after the attack, relatives and residents of Monterrey placed an altar, which became part of the panorama when passing through San Jerónimo Avenue.

Construction workers on site in early March 2021. The altar at the scene will be demolished too, but it is unknown if the next construciton will set up a new altar. 

The attack provoked universal outrage and triggered a broader scandal involving alleged casino bribes and corrupt politicians.

Days after the fire, a video emerged showing the brother of Monterrey Mayor Fernando Larrazabal accepting large wads of cash at a blackjack table in another casino. The mayor's own party asked him to step down pending the outcome of the investigation.

The brother, Jonas Larrazabal, said in a statement that he was merely collecting payment for Oaxacan cheese he sells. One of the stacks of cash was estimated to be worth about US$32,000.

The investigation and manhunt of those responsible was aggressive for several years. Multiple members of Los Zetas were captured across northern Mexico after they went into hiding following the attack. Many of them received long prison sentences. Other suspects were killed in clashes with rival gang members or security forces.

Sources: Infobae; Noticieros Televisa; Silla Rota; Heraldo de Mexico; Borderland Beat archives