Latest news with #drugtraffickers
France 24
9 hours ago
- France 24
France moves notorious drug traffickers to supermax prison in major crackdown
France on Tuesday started moving some of its most most notorious drug traffickers to a high-security prison as part of a heightened campagn against the narcotics trade. Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said on X that 17 drug traffickers -- "among the most dangerous in our country" -- had been transferred to the prison in the northern town of Vendin-le-Vieil "under exceptional security conditions." Seven prison vans arrived at the site on Tuesday, accompanied by police motorcycle escorts. Darmanin has said he wants to lock up 200 of France's biggest drug traffickers in two top-security prisons, including Vendin-le-Vieil, in a bid to crack down on networks that operate from within jails. In October, a high-security prison wing is to open in the northwest town of Conde-sur-Sarthe. David Lacroix, who represents the FO Justice union, said that around 60 out of the 100 prisoners due to be sent to Vendin-le-Vieil are to arrive this month with the rest due by mid-September. The prisoners come from mainland France as well as France's Caribbean territories, he added. "Their daily lives will change," said Lacroix. As part of the new regime, mobile phone signals will be jammed and prisoners will undergo mandatory searches after every contact with the outside world. Thomas Vaugrand, a representative of Ufap Unsa Justice union, said the measures aimed to increase the isolation of the traffickers. "These will be high-profile inmates," he said. "They are all prisoners who have significant financial resources on the outside and the means to continue their trafficking or order murders from their cells." The Vendin-le-Vieil jail, one of France's two most secure prisons, has been renovated to strengthen its security further. The exercise yard has been concreted over to prevent objects from being hidden and an airport-style body scanner installed. Grating has been added to the bars on the cells and hatches installed on all doors so that prisoners can be handcuffed before they leave their cells. A glass screen now prevents physical contact between inmates and visitors. Notorious drug baron Mohamed Amra, known as "The Fly", will eventually be one of the Vendin-le-Vieil inmates. Darmanin pushed for tougher security after an attack last year on a prison van carrying Amra in which he was freed and two prison guards killed.
South China Morning Post
6 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Fear of ‘mafia-style syndicates' in Bali grows amid spike in crimes by foreigners
A surge in foreigner-linked crime has raised fears that Bali may turn into a 'killing ground' for drug traffickers and organised crime groups, as officials and residents warn that efforts to boost mass tourism are eroding public safety and inviting the wrong kind of visitors to the Indonesian island. Advertisement Bali police recorded a 16 per cent rise in crimes involving foreigners last year – from 194 cases in 2023 to 226 in 2024 – with 108 such incidents logged between January and June of this year, according to local news outlet The Bali Sun. Local politician Agung Bagus Pratiksa Linggih attributed the issue to an influx of low-budget travellers staying long-term in unlicensed accommodations that have proliferated since the Covid-19 pandemic. 'The quality of tourists coming to Bali is decreasing,' Agung said as quoted by The Guardian. 'This is due to the rapid growth of illegal homestays, which allows low-budget foreigners to stay longer in Bali.' A police officer walks past the villa in Bali where Australian national Zivan Radmanovic was shot dead and another man injured, on June 15. Photo: AFP More than 60,000 visitors arrive on the island each day, which has a population of 4.2 million. Last year, Indonesia's most visited island welcomed over 6.3 million foreign tourists, and the provincial government hopes to surpass that figure by attracting 6.5 million this year. Advertisement But the pressure from such volumes is mounting, say locals, who fear that rapid growth without adequate controls is attracting criminal elements.
Washington Post
23-06-2025
- Washington Post
Indonesia arrests 285 in drug crackdown and seizes over half a ton of narcotics
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian authorities said Monday they arrested 285 people suspected of drug trafficking, including 29 women and seven foreigners, and seized over half a ton of various narcotics during a two-monthlong nationwide crackdown. Indonesia is a major hub for drug trafficking in Southeast Asia despite having strict drug laws, with convicted smugglers sometimes executed by firing squad.
CBC
10-06-2025
- CBC
Peel Police seize $50M worth of cocaine being trafficked into GTA
Peel Police say they've intercepted $50 million worth of cocaine being trafficked from the U.S. into the Greater Toronto Area. They say it's the largest single drug seizure in the history of their police force.
The National
04-06-2025
- The National
Syrian government says it has seized all Captagon production labs
Stimulant has been an illicit export for years and has become popular across the Middle East
