A manhunt is underway in France after armed men held up a prison van to break out convicted criminal Mohamed Amra, nicknamed “the fly” (La mouche). They killed two offers and injured several more in the process.
France may not be the first European country that springs to mind when organised crime is mentioned, but Amra’s case, and his audacious escape in broad daylight in front of multiple witnesses, is indicative of the pressures authorities currently face in trying to keep pace with the trade in drugs and arms.
The prison break unfolded near Rouen, in the north of the country, but Amra has been indicted for crimes carried out in the southern port city of Marseille. This is the centre of a well structured, lucrative and extremely violent drugs trade.
