Inmates in French prisons have been using new “undetectable” devices to communicate with the outside world. Eurojust, the European cooperation of justice services, warned about this on Tuesday. In France, five thousand of these devices, about the size of a lighter, have been confiscated.
French investigators discovered that the devices are sold online worldwide. The devices are difficult to detect at security gates because they have few metal parts. In addition, the devices are intentionally designed that way.
The French authorities discovered the devices during a search on May 20 in five hundred cells in 66 prisons. Reportedly, five thousand devices were ‘active’. The French authorities were able to trace and seize them.
The French investigators estimated that the seized devices were used for criminal activities such as drug trafficking, murder, and money laundering. They then took the website that sold the devices offline.
When the French investigation revealed that these devices were sold worldwide, Eurojust decided to inform other countries. In addition, the European cooperation of justice services said it sent “crucial information” about the devices to the affiliated countries. “Authorities can now use this information to investigate whether the devices are being used in their own country.”
NU.nl has asked the Public Prosecution Service whether these types of devices are also in use in the Netherlands but has not yet received a response.