In a message published this afternoon on X, the Minister of Justice Gérald Darmanin announced the incarceration of “11 new dangerous detainees” in the Prison of Vendin-le-Vieil (Pas-de-Calais), after a transfer from the south-east of France.
“The very strict conditions of detention to which they are now submitted will prevent them from directing their illicit activities from prison,” he said, welcoming the commitment of the police and prison agents mobilized for this operation.
Last night, 11 new dangerous detainees were incarcerated in the High Security Prison in Vendin-le-Vieil, after a transfer from the south east of France. The very strict conditions of detention to which they are now subject will prevent them from directing their …
– Gérald Darmanin (@gdarmanin) August 4, 2025
The establishment now welcomes 76 detainees, all considered as among the most dangerous in French narcobanditis.
Total isolation
These transfers are part of the Anti-Narcotrafic plan, launched in January 2025 by Gérald Darmanin. At the heart of the system: the reinforced isolation of the most influential traffickers in the country, divided between two establishments in Vendin-le-Vieil (Pas-de-Calais) and Condé-sur-Sarthe (Orne).
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In Vendin-le-Vieil, prisoners are subject to an ultra-secure prison regime: reinforced security, jamming of mobile phones, very limited contact with the outside. Objective displayed: to prevent any criminal activity and resumption of control over their networks from their cell.
The faults of the Amra case
Symbol of this new penitentiary policy, Mohamed Amra, transferred on July 24, was one of the first detainees to arrive in this high security establishment.
The figure of the French narcotrafic had caused a shock wave in May 2024, escaping from a penitentiary van, a bloody operation which had cost the lives to two agents.
