A GROUP OF CRIMINALS IS SUSPECTED OF ORGANIZING BLACKMAIL OF PRISONERS

A group of criminal bosses is suspected of organizing blackmail of prisoners held in detention facilities. Prosecutors supported by the Interior Ministry's special forces Fulger and the Justice Ministry's Pantera conducted 11 surprise searches in three prisons. In the criminal case of the death of a convict (whose body was found in July 2023 with signs of strangulation), it emerged that he had been the victim of extortionists who insisted on the repayment of card debts. Recidivists extorted and received large sums of money from relatives of convicts at large, putting this business on the stream. Thus, one of the intermediaries in blackmail was taken into custody, who received 6 thousand lei. Phones, bank cards, draft records of debts, which are forbidden in prison, were seized in detention centers. The recidivists face up to seven years of imprisonment if their guilt is proved in court.