France: Police confiscate numerous mini cell phones in prisons
Many inmates in French prisons have been using tiny cell phones to keep in touch with the outside world. The police have now put a stop to this.
Size comparison of the devices
(Image: Eurojust)
French police have confiscated tiny cell phones in dozens of prisons that inmates were using to contact the outside world without permission. This was announced by the French Ministry of the Interior and the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust). Almost 500 prison cells were searched as part of the “Prison Break” operation. In addition, the online portal through which the devices were distributed was shut down. A total of 5,000 of these devices were located throughout France, and 88 were discovered in the prisons themselves.
“Do not trigger an alarm”
According to the French gendarmerie, the cell phones, which are the size of a small lighter, originate from China and were explicitly advertised with the claim that the devices would not be found during entry checks in prisons. The provider's website, OPORTIK, was confiscated, and the information seized from it is intended to help identify the customers. The mobile devices had been specially prepared for smuggling into prisons. “Here you will find all of our mini cell phones and accessories that do not trigger an alarm at the entrance control”, the website stated.
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Investigations have revealed that such devices were used to coordinate crimes such as drug trafficking, fraud, arson, and even contract killings from within the prisons. It is still being investigated whether data was even transmitted abroad via backdoors on the devices. Three people who are believed to have supplied the devices were arrested on French territory. A total of 88 mini cell phones and 76 other cell phones were seized during the searches in the prisons themselves, and 500 more and 70,000 euros in cash were confiscated in a storage building.
Eurojust also explains that the technical specifications and other important information on the devices have been passed on to law enforcement authorities throughout Europe and beyond. This should enable national authorities to check whether such devices are also being used in their prisons. Other countries can request the data. According to the report, the devices had few metal parts and were therefore difficult to detect. The confiscated devices are now being evaluated by security experts.
(mho)
