Seven convicts serving sentences for a variety of crimes, including drug dealing and human trafficking, escaped from the low-security Feres Prison in northern Greece on March 10, setting police to scramble in a search and set up roadblocks in the region of Thrace and Evros.
There have been a number of prison breaks in Greece, including a high-security facility in Athens, and several others that have been foiled, including an attempt to use a helicopter to get a prisoner out. In 2011, prisoners in Athens held hostages before a stand-off ended.
Prison authorities discovered that seven convicts were missing during the regular roll call in the morning and a search of the facility revealed that they had managed to saw through the bars on the gate leading into the exercise yard and jump over the fence on the outer perimeter.
Police union representatives told local media that the facility is not a high-security prison and its purpose is to hold convicts for short periods of time before their transfer to Komotini Prison. It was not revealed why those convicted of serious crimes were being held there.
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