Mexican prisoners complain of 'inhuman' conditions including worms in food

Some of Mexico's notorious criminals are complaining about "inhuman" conditions at a maximum-security prison, claiming they find worms in their food and deal with dirty mattresses in the room for conjugal visits.

Around 140 inmates at the El Altiplano prison listed their concerns in an 11-page letter to the National Human Rights Commission, asking the governmental agency to review their conditions. The handwritten letter was signed by kidnappers, murderers and narco traffickers, including big names such as Sinaloa drug cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, who was captured early last year after a 13-year manhunt.

The letter is strewn with grammatical errors, claiming that "the imprisonment is in inhuman conditions". It lists several irregularities, including plates of spoiled food or filled with maggots and rocks. The room for visits is "dirty" and contains broken furniture and windows.

The prisoners complain of a lack of medical care and overcrowded cells. They are unable to communicate with others and get only one hour outside per day. The rooms for conjugal visits - a right for prisoners in Mexico - are in terrible condition, with "sagging mattresses, protruding springs and dirty from their use and bad cleaning".

The signees include drug lords who were used to a life of luxury, big homes and fancy cars.

In addition to Guzman, the letter was signed by the head of the Beltran Leyva crime family, Hector, who was captured last year, as well as the US-born Edgar "La Barbie" Valdez, who had fought for control of the cartel.