The transfer of the first eight prisoners to the high-security prison in Condé-sur-Sarthe (Orne), the second after the Vendin-le-Vieil prison (Pas-de-Calais), took place on Thursday, several sources confirmed.
There were “seven transfers by road and one by helicopter” said Emmanuel Baudin, secretary general of FO-Justice, whose union “supports the creation of this environment”.
In the early afternoon, a convoy of several vehicles, including four white vans with flashing lights, entered the prison grounds, where many law enforcement officers were present, AFP journalists noted. A helicopter then landed in the prison yard before taking off again a few minutes later.
Individuals associated with drug trafficking
“At this time, we know there are about ten detainees who have arrived at the site,” said Joseph Rousseaux, FO Justice interregional secretary.
(4/4) The murder of the Renault CEO: the bloody epic of the Action Directe group
Crime story tells major criminal cases every week.
According to Joseph Rousseaux, these detainees, whose “identities and profiles” are not yet known, are “linked to organized crime and drug trafficking” and came “from the Paris area because they gathered to carry out transfers”.
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin announced Tuesday evening on TF 1 that “around forty” detainees would be transferred to the anti-organized crime unit (QLCO) by the end of the month, which will house a total of “around one hundred” detainees.
A “watertight” building perhaps
At the beginning of October, during an open press visit to the prison center, its director Vincent Vernet assured that “maximum activity within the building has been planned to completely sectorize things and close its connections with other districts.”
And to limit the number of judicial extractions, “we created (…) a video conference room in the building,” he added.
The aim of this ultra-secure structure is to place prisoners in total isolation who authorities say come from the high end of the organized crime spectrum, according to an extremely strict detention regime inspired by the fight against the mafia in Italy.
Hundreds of prisoners are considered dangerous
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin estimates the number of prisoners considered extremely dangerous is around 500 among the 86,000 people currently imprisoned in France.
This QLCO is supposed to prevent them from communicating with the outside world, specifically to continuously regulate their traffic.
The first district opened this summer in Vendin-le-Vieil (Pas-de-Calais), where the November 13 jihadist Salah Abdeslam and drug trafficker Mohamed Amra were jailed.
Condé-sur-Sarthe penitentiary has experienced several hostage-taking and attacks on guards in recent years although this is one of the newest and modern in France.
