Major French drugs gangland figure Mohamed Amra, at that moment in pre-trial detention for a murder committed in 2022 in Marseille, escaped in May 2024 upon an armed operation causing the death of two prison officers, was captured by the Romanian law enforcement forces on February 22 and will be extradited to France within 30 days under an operation coordinated with the French authorities.

At the same time, a raid in France, Spain, and the Netherlands led to the arrest of 10 people suspected of being involved in his escape.

The escape triggered blockades in several prisons and revealed weaknesses in the management and supervision of dangerous detainees. 

The operation that resulted in his capture was announced by French officials, including president Emmanuel Macron, who praised "a tremendous success" from the Paris Agricultural Show, according to France TV.

French interior minister Bruno Retailleau also congratulated this cooperation between the police and judicial teams. 

On X, French prime minister François Bayrou highlighted a "magnificent success of our national police."

The French drug trafficker escaped on May 14, 2024, when a commando unit pulled him out of a van that was transporting him from prison to the court for one of his trials, killing two prison officers.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inquam Photos / Octav Ganea)