Escape “aided by three individuals waiting with ladders” and Mercedes
An all points alert is out today after five men, considered dangerous, broke out of a prison in Alcoentre, near Lisbon, at around 9am.
The prisoners, two Portuguese, an Argentine, a Georgian and a British man escaped through the wall that protects the prison, as documented by images taken by the prison’s cameras (see image above).
A member of the prison guard corps has told Expresso: “They went out of the cells into the courtyard and then, with a ladder that was hidden outside, they climbed over the six-metre-high wall and escaped”.
The escape was aided by “three individuals who were waiting outside, who placed the ladder to jump the net”. Once this had been achieved, all five “got into a small black Mercedes”.
“Three flights of aluminum ladders were used, camouflaged in the wall (…) you can’t even see them in the video surveillance images”, one of those involved in the search has told Expresso.
The five inmates “are all considered dangerous and need escorts for outside trips”.
One of the inmates “has already used a firearm against a member of the criminal police,” added the source.
At the time of the escape, the five prisoners were “unaccompanied by the Prison Intervention and Security Group, which is usual given the dangerous nature of the detainees. They were unattended at the time they escaped,” explained another guard.
How this came about is explained by the sheer number of prisoners at Vale de Judeus (reportedly 507) compared to the number of prison guards.
According to Expresso’s source, “there are half a dozen of us to take care of an entire prison”.
Thus, all it takes is planning and determination, and potentially an escape is possible.
Other media sources stress today’s searches are being carried out “discreetly”.
Meantime, the five have been described as:
Fernando Ribeiro Ferreira, 61, sentenced to 25 years for drug trafficking, criminal association, theft, robbery and kidnapping;
Rodolf José Lohrmann, 59, sentenced to 18 years and 10 months for criminal association, theft, robbery, false declarations and money laundering. Lohrmann is suspected of the murders of at least two children of prominent politicians in his native Argentina.
Mark Cameron Roscaleer, 39, sentenced to 9 years for kidnapping and robbery.
Shergili Farjiani, 40, sentenced to 7 years for the crimes of theft, violence after the theft and forgery of documents
Fábio Fernandes Santos Loureiro, 33, sentenced to 25 years for the crimes of trafficking in minor quantities, criminal association, extortion, money laundering, insult, aggravated theft, resisting and coercing an official and driving without a legal licence. (According to prison guards, Loureiro is famed for having been “the terror of the Algarve”… see top story to come).
The General Directorate of Prison Services (DGSP) has corroborated Expresso’s information, albeit putting the time of the escape “at 10am”. It has also clarified that “the appropriate communications were immediately made to criminal police bodies with a view to recapturing the escapees and an investigation process was opened internally by the Audit and Inspection Service, coordinated by a Public Prosecutor”.
This statement itself may be slightly misleading, in that, according to reports, not only did the escape take place earlier than 10am, it was not noticed until midday “during the call for lunch” (ie when the five did not turn up/ could not be found for lunch).
The GNR has confirmed to Expresso that “a search operation to recapture the fugitives” is underway. ND
Source material: Expresso
