Individuals suspected of helping drug lord Mohamed Amra escape prison detained
Twenty-four individuals suspected of helping French drug dealer Mohamed Amra escape from police custody in May 2024 were detained on Monday, according to reports by French broadcaster FranceInfo.
This latest development marks the fourth wave of detentions since Amra, who became France's most wanted fugitive during his nine months on the run, was arrested in Romania last month.
Since his arrest, Amra has been held at the ultra-high security Condé-sur-Sarthe prison, which is located in Normandy.
According to French media, two individuals were detained in Germany, while the remaining 22 were apprehended by police in France.
To date, 27 individuals, as well as Amra himself, have been indicted by magistrates at the Paris Judicial Court.
Mohamed Amra is brought handcuffed by police officers at the Court of Appeals in Bucharest, 23 February, 2025
AP Photo
Koba LaD, a 24-year-old rapper with more than three million followers on Instagram, is reportedly one of the suspects in police custody.
Amra and Koba LaD are believed to have crossed paths in 2023, when they shared a cell at the Santé Prison in Paris.
Several members of the rapper's entourage who are affiliated with the so-called 'Black Manjak Family', a criminal organisation based in Normandy, which specialises in drug trafficking, have already been indicted in the case.
The individuals are suspected of having assisted Amra with a range of things, from helping him hide in an apartment in the town of Rouen, to preparing the ambush on his transfer van and assisting his escape to Romania by car.
Amra's escape from police custody was a violent one; armed men ambushed
a prison convoy in Normandy, killing two guards and injuring three others.
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