French police recaptured a 19-year-old in Marseille who escaped Dijon prison in late November by sawing through cell bars and lowering himself on bedsheets. He was wanted in a drug-linked attempted murder and was found after an Interpol red notice. His co-escapee, a 32-year-old accused of domestic violence, was arrested the following day. The case has highlighted concerns over drone-delivered contraband and severe prison overcrowding in France.
19-Year-Old Recaptured in Marseille Weeks After Daring Dijon Prison Escape
This photograph taken in Dijon, eastern France, Nov. 27, 2025, shows the back of the Dijon Prison. / Credit: ARNAUD FINISTRE/AFP/Getty
French police said Thursday they have recaptured a 19-year-old inmate in Marseille who escaped from Dijon prison in late November after sawing through his cell bars and lowering himself on bedsheets, sources told AFP.
Authorities located the fugitive — wanted in a drug-linked attempted murder case — in a run-down apartment block in northern Marseille following an Interpol red notice. The apartment was roughly 310 miles (about 500 km) south of Dijon.
How The Escape Unfolded
According to investigators, the 19-year-old and a 32-year-old fellow detainee sawn through their cell bars with manual blades and lowered themselves from the facility on bedsheets. Guards discovered the cells empty before dawn on the day of the breakout.
Dijon prosecutor Olivier Caracotch said the 32-year-old left a note in his cell saying he had been held "too long." The younger escapee was traced to Marseille after Interpol issued a red notice; his older accomplice was arrested the following day at a village bar where he had been drinking coffee.
Drone Deliveries, Overcrowding And Security Concerns
Union official Ahmed Saih, who represents prison officers at Dijon, told AFP the inmates used "old-fashioned, manual saw blades" and noted similar blades had been found previously. Prosecutors said investigators suspect the saws were delivered to the prison by drone; several people have already been sentenced for drone deliveries to the same facility.
The episode has renewed concern about chronic overcrowding in French prisons. A Council of Europe report published in July ranked France third-worst in Europe for prison overcrowding. In early October the national average was about 135 inmates for every 100 available places. The Justice Ministry reported Dijon prison — built in 1853 — held 311 inmates for 180 places.
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin had said earlier that Dijon was due to receive $7.3 million as part of a program to remove mobile phones from six French prisons, an initiative officials said aims to reduce contraband and strengthen security.
Context And Recent Incidents
The Dijon breakout came less than two weeks after another escape in Rennes, where a 37-year-old prisoner fled during a supervised outing and was later caught in Nantes. Authorities also note that high-profile escapes are not unique to France: last year, Marco Raduano — described by Europol as a dangerous mafia boss — escaped a maximum-security prison with bedsheets and was later captured in Bastia, Corsica.
What officials are watching: drone deliveries of contraband, prison overcrowding, and the effectiveness of recent funding and technology measures to tighten security.
