On Tuesday, French authorities initiated a large-scale manhunt following an incident where individuals wearing balaclavas ambushed a prison transport vehicle in northern France to liberate a drug dealer known as 'The Fly'. This operation resulted in the death of two prison guards and severe injuries to three others.
The orchestrated attack highlights the increasing menace of drug-related crimes in Europe, the leading cocaine market globally. The event occurred at approximately 0900 GMT at a toll booth in Incarville within the Eure region of northern France. The escaped prisoner, identified as Mohamed Amra, a 30-year-old drug dealer from northern France, is being pursued by law enforcement, with sources indicating his suspected involvement in a murder in Marseille and connections to the influential "Blacks" gang in the city.
The Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, confirmed the commencement of a significant manhunt, deploying hundreds of police officers and gendarmes to locate the fugitives. Justice Minister Éric Dupond-Moretti disclosed that the assault on the prison van occurred while Amra was en route from a prison in Evreux to meet with an investigating judge in Rouen.
He further noted that two of the wounded officers were in critical condition. Emphasizing the commitment to apprehend the perpetrators, he assured that those responsible for the reprehensible act would face justice accordingly. Social media images depicted two masked individuals armed with rifles near a burning SUV, which seemed to have been deliberately crashed into the front of the prison van.
The influx of cocaine into Europe annually has fueled organized crime activities throughout the continent, resulting in escalated violent clashes with law enforcement and lethal territorial disputes among criminal factions.
Drug-related homicides now pose a comparable security threat to terrorism within the European Union, as stated by Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson. Marseille has become a focal point for gang-related violence in France, particularly amid intense conflicts between rival trafficking groups.