Albanian media suggests three escaped convicts may have crossed border into Greece
Albanian media on Tuesday reported that three of seven convicts who escaped from the maximum-security prison of Drenova, some 170 kilometers (102 miles) south of the capital Tirana, on Saturday may have crossed the border into northwestern Greece.
The fugitives were identified by the media outlet Albeu as convicted murderers Reiz Haxhiraj, Gezim Toma and Eduard Lulo. The report claims that witnesses told authorities – who have already arrested four of the fugitives and are continuing the search for the other three – that they have seen three men on mules making their way to the Greek border after the jailbreak on Saturday. Officers have also reportedly found traces of campfires and footprints near the border that they believe suggest the three fugitives have stayed together.
“Police operations are continuing… in order to arrest the three remaining convicts who escaped,” Interior Minister Saimir Tahiri was quoted by the AFP as saying.
The seven prisoners managed to disarm guards and made off in getaway cars that were waiting for them outside the prison, according to media reports. Several prison officers have been arrested in connection to the incident.
