فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
International drug trafficker Mohamed Amra, who was arrested on Saturday in Romania after nine months on the run—a period marked by the killing of two prison guards on a French highway in May—was extradited to France on Tuesday via a flight, according to Romanian airport authorities.
France’s public enemy number one was transported to Bucharest Airport under heavy guard by Romanian special police forces, appearing confident and smiling with his hands shackled, while maintaining the red hair dye that had drawn attention during his arrest on Saturday.
The elite unit of the French Gendarmerie (GIGN) took charge of his air transfer to France. Amra, a 30-year-old repeat offender, agreed to his extradition on Sunday before unsuccessfully challenging his detention.
His lawyer, Maria Marcu, told AFP before his extradition: “Given that he denies involvement in the crimes and considers himself a victim of a judicial error, we have filed an appeal for his release.”
Amra was arrested on Saturday in Romania, where he had been living under false documents since February 8, after accomplices helped him settle in an apartment on the outskirts of Bucharest, according to Romanian police.
Sources close to the investigation indicated that the “most likely hypothesis” is that he remained in France until his departure to Romania in February.
Amra, nicknamed “The Fly,” had planned to undergo cosmetic surgery before fleeing to Colombia, although he had not taken any concrete steps in that direction, according to Romanian authorities.
He was held under heightened security measures pending his extradition to France.
Laure Beccuau, the public prosecutor in Paris, stated that a meeting was held on Monday to determine the prison where he would be held upon his return to France. She confirmed that his extradition would take place “under the highest security levels,” emphasizing the importance of “confidentiality” in this investigation conducted by the National Jurisdiction for Combating Organized Crime (Junalco).
Sources close to French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin indicated that the minister requested Amra be placed in an isolation unit within a prison with the highest security levels.
His escape dates back to May 14, 2024, when he was taken from his cell in Normandy, western France, for questioning by an investigative judge. A commando unit seized the opportunity to attack the vehicle transporting him using a ram car and assault rifles, resulting in the deaths of two prison guards and injuring three others.
Three days after his arrest in Romania, 22 individuals remain in custody in France, as announced by Beccuau on Tuesday morning. Two French nationals were also arrested in Morocco, and another man was detained in Spain.
Beccuau added: “A number of the commando members may be among those detained. All interrogations will help confirm or refute the hypotheses we have built.”
She noted that “within Amra’s circle, there are individuals who may belong to the ‘Black Mafia Family,’ a criminal organization specialized in drug trafficking, whose activities warrant deeper investigation.”
According to a source close to the case, two new arrests were made in France during the night of Monday to Tuesday.
The unprecedented scale of the investigation into his escape shows that “between 100 to 150” judicial police investigators worked daily on this case, which has become a symbol of the spread of drug trafficking in France, as stated by the head of the judicial police, Christian Sainte, on Monday.
