Latest news with #GéraldDarmanin
The Guardian
14-07-2025
- The Guardian
French prisoner rearrested days after escape in cellmate's laundry bag
A prisoner who escaped from a French jail hidden in the laundry bag of another detainee who was released on Friday has been rearrested, authorities have said, amid a continuing debate over prison security and overcrowding. Elyazid A, 20, known as 'the Joker' or 'the Equaliser', was detained early on Monday morning as he emerged from a cellar in a village about 15 miles (25km) from Lyon-Corbas, the prison he had escaped from on Friday. Prison officers had not noticed his disappearance until he had been gone for 24 hours. They said he escaped in a large plastic laundry bag filled with clothes wheeled out of the prison on a trolley by one of his cellmates who was released on Friday. The cellmate is still being sought, police said. The justice minister, Gérald Darmanin, has ordered an investigation into the circumstances of the escape, as have Lyon public prosecutors, the French prison service and Lyon-Corbas jail itself. Sébastien Cauwel, the national prison service chief, said Elyazid A, who was in prison for a range of relatively minor offences but also under investigation for alleged criminal association and conspiracy to murder, had not been flagged as a security risk. Cauwel told BFMTV that the escape method was 'extremely rare' and the fact it had succeeded was 'the consequence of a series of dysfunctions – serious and inadmissible dysfunctions – inside this prison, which are now being fully investigated'. He said the episode appeared to be a result of 'human rather than material' failing inside the prison, but added that severe overcrowding 'obviously makes the prison officers' job somewhat more difficult than it might otherwise be'. Lyon-Corbas prison was designed for 678 inmates but holds almost 1,220, according to report in May by the Lyon bar association, which called for an 'urgent end to overcrowding so as to respect fundamental rights and human dignity'. France's total prison population of 85,000 is housed in jails meant to accommodate fewer than 63,000, Cauwel said. He said it was possible officers had not noticed the escape because cells that were no longer fully occupied 'are immediately refilled'. According to a 2024 Council of Europe report, France's 186 prisons have the worst overcrowding rate in the EU after those in Cyprus and Romania. Spectacular escapes are not uncommon, with nearly 20 helicopter breakouts since the 1980s. Unions say the prison service is understaffed by at least 5,000 officers. In April, 21 people were arrested after a wave of attacks hit multiple French jails, with automatic weapons fired at the entrance to Toulon prison in the south of the country. In other incidents, cars were set alight and prison officers' accommodation was vandalised in what media described as a 'declaration of war' by drug cartels after a government crackdown on traffickers and the imposition of tougher conditions for kingpins operating inside jails. The justice ministry has said it is working to improve general prison conditions, with measures including new high-security prisons for the most dangerous detainees aimed at combating organised crime that often continues to be run from inside jails.
Daily News Egypt
12-07-2025
- Health
- Daily News Egypt
Needle-spiking attacks in France prompt government warning, public fear
A wave of needle-spiking attacks in public spaces across France has sparked widespread public fear and prompted the government to call for a 'swift and firm criminal response,' as authorities grapple with a phenomenon that has intensified with the start of the summer festival season. The attacks, carried out by unknown assailants who prick their victims with needles, have raised concerns that the instruments could be contaminated with diseases or harmful substances. Authorities have announced 12 arrests in connection with such incidents, as anxiety grows ahead of large public gatherings for Bastille Day and summer music festivals. The phenomenon first emerged in 2022 but has seen a recent surge. During the nationwide Fête de la Musique on June 21, 145 people reported being pricked, following calls on social media for mass spiking attacks, particularly against women. Incidents have also been reported at the Printemps de Bourges festival and in nightclubs and on public transport in cities including Paris, Nantes, and Grenoble. In response, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin has sent a circular to all public prosecutors demanding a 'swift' and decisive response to the incidents and ordering that specific investigation procedures be implemented immediately to preserve evidence. 'One person told me, 'I was pricked at the Fête de la Musique',' one victim said in a weary, clipped tone. 'At one point, someone passed by me, and I felt a sharp sting.' Judicial authorities have opened multiple investigations into the attacks, which have left victims with a range of symptoms. According to a 2024 study of several hundred of the 1,200 people who filed complaints that year, some victims initially felt a prick in the arm or thigh, later noticing marks. Others subsequently developed symptoms such as dizziness, hot flashes, or severe headaches. Professor Joseph Bakhache, an infectious diseases specialist, said it remains difficult to confirm if injections of harmful substances have actually occurred, as clinical and laboratory tests have so far failed to provide proof. 'The most difficult task for us is to follow up on the type of needle used, especially as there are needles that can transmit infectious and chronic diseases, such as AIDS and Hepatitis B,' Bakhache told Asharq News. 'The real fear for us remains on the trains, which are used by millions of citizens daily across France.' He noted that, unlike narcotics, some injectable substances are difficult to detect, and expressed serious concern over the potential use of contaminated, second-hand needles. Darmanin's circular stressed the need for comprehensive victim support and outlined the legal approach. If tests show a substance was injected, the crime will be treated as the administration of a harmful substance. If a prick is proven but no substance is found, it can be considered intentional violence with a weapon. Local officials and event organisers have described the phenomenon as a 'real source of concern.' Michel Grouyer, the mayor of Chatou, which is preparing to host the major 'Electric Park' music festival in August, said prevention is difficult given that small needles or pins can be used. 'We have started to prepare and train police officers for non-routine search procedures to prevent, as much as possible, incidents of this type,' he said. Organisers of some festivals have begun implementing technology to address the issue, such as the 'Safer' mobile app, which allows attendees to immediately report an attack or send an alert. A dedicated team then finds the potential victim to offer assistance, including access to an on-site psychologist.
The National
07-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
Macron to hear plans for dealing with Muslim Brotherhood influence on French society
French President Emmanuel Macron was scheduled to head a meeting with cabinet ministers on Monday on the Muslim Brotherhood's influence on French society, six weeks after the government published a report that mapped out the group's network of influence across Europe. Mr Macron had told ministers to come up with "new proposals" after a Defence Council meeting in late May, "given the importance of the subject and the seriousness of the established facts", the presidential office said at the time. This was reported as a rebuke against Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who had discussed the content of the report in the media before its publication. A Defence Council meeting includes a restricted number of ministers. In addition to Mr Retailleau, Education Minister Elisabeth Borne and Sports Minister Marie Barsacq are expected to attend on Monday. Youth sports associations are mentioned in the report as one of the ways the Muslim Brotherhood propagates its values, considered to go against the state's founding principle of secularism, or "laicite". Monday's meeting was initially planned for June. The government has offered no explanation for the delay. The report was requested in May 2024 by former interior minister, Gerald Darmanin. Mr Macron is under pressure from right-wing party Les Republicains, led by Mr Retailleau, and the far-right's National Rally to toughen his stance on the Muslim Brotherhood. "By convening this Defence Council, [he] intends to show that he is not remaining inactive on the front line of the fight against Islamist "entryism", daily newspaper Le Figaro said. Action must be taken to stop the spread of political Islamist extremism, said the report, written by former French ambassador Francois Gouyette and prefect Pascal Courtade. It was made public by the Interior Ministry on May 25. 'The reality of this threat, even if it is long-term and does not involve violent action, poses a risk of damage to the fabric of society and republican institutions … and, more broadly, to national cohesion,' it said of the Muslim Brotherhood. The report highlighted the role of the Union of Islamic Organisations of France, which has acted as a linchpin for the Brotherhood across France. "The organisation has constantly sought to position itself as an interlocutor of the public authorities and displayed a typically Brotherhood desire to represent the entire French Muslim population, even though it constitutes only a fraction of it of more than relative importance," the report said.
Daily Mail
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
How feared drug cartels including Sinaloa and MS-13 are now operating INSIDE Europe with gangsters setting up meth labs in soft-touch EU to avoid growing US pressure in Latin America
France 's Minister of Justice courted controversy last month when he declared that no corner of the country was safe from the scourge of drug dealing. Speaking to French podcast LEGEND, Gérald Darmanin said even the 'smallest rural town' in France is now blighted by the illicit drugs trade. 'Drugs have always existed, but today we can clearly see that in the smallest rural town, they know about cocaine, cannabis. 'Beforehand, drugs were simply in big towns [and cities] or the metro... it has become widespread, metastasised,' he added. Many dismissed the statement, in which he went on to rail against escalating violence and call for law enforcement crackdowns, as little more than political rhetoric laying the groundwork for a widely anticipated presidential campaign ahead of 2027. Two weeks later, authorities announced the bust of a luxury villa-turned methamphetamine manufacturing facility in the sleepy countryside commune of Le Val in southeastern France. Suddenly, Darmanin's warning didn't seem so alarmist. The secret lab was later found to be the first confirmed operation of Mexico's infamous Sinaloa cartel on French soil, raising fears that one of the world's biggest and most dangerous criminal organisations is looking to expand its operations into Europe. Police claimed the lab was set up by a group of Mexicans in 2023 who arrived in France and began renting the villa. It transpired they had been commissioned by the cartel to build a meth production facility, recruit and train people in France to run it, before moving elsewhere. That terrifying discovery came less than three months after Spanish police arrested 27 members of MS-13 - the Los Angeles-based gang formed by immigrants from El Salvador - that US President Donald Trump has designated a terrorist organisation. MS-13 representatives were reportedly seeking to rapidly expand their operations in Spain and had planned to carry out a contract killing. The shocking busts validate a 2022 report in which Europol claimed that its intelligence suggested Mexican cartels were dramatically scaling up their operations in Europe amid an increase in seizures of cocaine and methamphetamines. Europe's illicit drug market is now booming, worth at least €31 billion (£26 billion) according to a 2024 report by the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA). Cocaine is the second most commonly used illicit drug in the EU behind cannabis and the second largest illicit drug market by revenue generated, accounting for roughly one third of revenues. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) figures suggest that the UK & Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain rank in the top five countries across Europe where cocaine use is most prevalent, with France, Italy and Spain also topping the charts for cannabis consumption. The majority of narcotics bought and sold in Europe, particularly cocaine, originates from Latin America, primarily Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia. Cartels in these countries, as well as the likes of Brazil's PCC criminal organisation, leverage their formidable network of contacts with criminal enterprises and crime families across Africa and Europe to ensure their product makes it to consumers in the UK and on the continent. Some of the most notorious European groups involved in the trafficking include Italy's 'Ndragheta and Camorra crime families, Grupa Amerika and the Tito and Dino cartel in the Balkans, and the Kinahan clan and ' The Family ' in Ireland, and the Dutch-Moroccan 'Mocro Maffia'. Despite Mexico's reputation as a hub for some of the world's most feared and well-established drug trafficking operations, cartels here have traditionally favoured the US market over Europe. Their proximity and penetration into the American market meant Mexican cartels have long 'taken charge of the buying, trafficking and sale (of cocaine and other narcotics) in the United States', according to Rafael Guarin, a former presidential security adviser in Colombia. But the return of Donald Trump to the White House has seen a raft of measures designed to target cartel activity and limit the flow of fentanyl, among other drugs, across the border. Trump has pressured Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum into getting serious on tackling the cartel's outsized influence in her nation, offering to lend US military aid and increase intelligence sharing between Mexican authorities and American security services. This, coupled with the higher street value of cocaine and other drugs in Europe versus North America, may be forcing the likes of the Sinaloa cartel, MS-13 and their rivals to make efforts to diversify. Investigators inspect packages in a container in the port of Antwerp Federal agents seize submarine off Puerto Rico's Caribbean Sea coast carrying a record 2,500 kilos of cocaine Though the Sinaloa cartel will face the challenge of establishing its own criminal network in Europe if it hopes to muscle in on the continental market, the methods of transporting huge quantities of drugs across the Atlantic are already tried and tested. Hundreds of tonnes of narcotics enter Europe every year via gigantic shipping containers. Corrupt officials and cartel plants in place at both departure and receiving ports hide the drugs inside the containers and retrieve them at the other end. In the departure port, dock workers identify a container going to a port of interest, break into it, and stash the drugs among legitimate goods before sending its ID number to workers at the other end. At the receiving port, dockers make sure the dirty container is put in a specific spot where it is easy to access so it can be opened once again, the drugs removed and smuggled out of the port, and any security tags replaced with forgeries before it passes customs. Where smugglers cannot persuade the dockers to aid them, they sometimes send an empty container into the port with some of their men inside, who then break out and retrieve the stash in a method known as Trojan Horse. The Netherlands and Belgium have long served as the primary entry points for drug traffickers shuttling cocaine into Europe, particularly via port cities like Rotterdam and Antwerp. The latter last year topped the list of European cities where cocaine consumption is at its most voracious, with a March 2024 report by EUDA and SCORE group - a Europe-wide sewage analysis network - finding that 1,721 milligrams of cocaine were detected per 1,000 people per day in the port city. The Spanish region of Galicia is also renowned as one of the key gateways for drugs into Europe. Its ports were among the first to receive regular shipments from South American cartels as early as the 1970s and 1980s. More recently, cartels and criminal organisations have turned to yet more complex methods to ensure their product makes it into the hands of gleeful Europeans. To avoid seizures at ports, cargo ships are sometimes approached at sea by cartel fast boats. Either with money or force, the crew are persuaded to take the drugs on board before continuing their journey across the ocean. Before they reach land on the other end, more fast boats are dispatched to retrieve the drugs, meaning the cargo ship enters port as clean as when it departed. The cartels are so well funded that some have their own submarines designed to carry the maximum amount of weight possible while being operated by a crew of just three. Authorities estimate that each vessel costs around $1million (£750,000) to make and are painted sea blue, meaning they can leak just beneath the waves and surface under cover of night for their crew to emerge. 'Narco submarines are being built in rivers and mangroves. That's why, for example, the Amazon river in Brazil, is perfect. As soon as you open Google Maps, you realise it's a labyrinth of islets and mangroves and tributaries', Javier Romero, a local journalist, told the Wall Street Journal. 'You can hide a shipyard, then you can build it, put it into the water, and with the cover of darkness you launch it into the night.' Once the product arrives on the eastern side of the Atlantic, drug cartels and their European associates take advantage of vulnerable child migrants, using them as foot soldiers and mules to distribute their haul. Younger migrants, particularly those unaccompanied by older family members, are seen as ideal targets for recruitment. These children and young adults are typically in a precarious position - often with no means to support themselves and no legal status - and are therefore desperate for cash while their anonymity and perceived innocence make them less susceptible to detection by law enforcement. North African children, particularly Moroccans and Algerians, are thought to be those most at risk, with a recent EU police force investigation cited by the Guardian declaring: 'Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and France presented several concrete cases of the exploitation of hundreds of north African minors, recruited by drug trafficking networks to sell narcotics.' European police sources said the use of child drug mules was being conducted 'on an industrial scale'.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Yahoo
Suspect in French Crypto Kidnappings Arrested in Morocco
A suspect allegedly behind recent high-profile crypto kidnappings in France has been arrested in Morocco, according to Maghreb Arab Press, a government-run press agency. At the request of French authorities, a joint operation of Morocco's National Judicial Police Brigade (BNPJ) and the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST) took the 24-year-old French-Moroccan suspect into custody, according to a statement from Moroccan police distributed by MAP. The press agency described the man, who was identified by French press as Badiss Mohamed Amide Bajjou, as a mastermind of the crimes. "I sincerely thank Morocco for this arrest, which demonstrates the excellent judicial cooperation between our two countries, particularly against organized crime," said French Minister of Justice Gérald Darmanin in a translated statement on social-media site X. Interpol said Bajjou was sought for organized extortion, kidnapping and violence, according to a so-called "red notice" posted for the man. French authorities have already charged more than two dozen people — including six minors — in the spate of crypto kidnappings in Paris, most of them tied to the May 13 failed kidnapping attempt of the family of Pierre Noizat, the CEO of exchange Paymium. Also in May, the father of a French crypto millionaire was reportedly kidnapped in a case that was similar to the earlier seizure of David Ballard, a co-founder of crypto-wallet developer Ledger, and his wife. Kidnappers severed a finger from each of the men. After those recent cases, France's Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau hosted a meeting with people involved in crypto to discuss measures to keep them secure.
