French police on on Monday arrested 25 people who were reportedly involved with coordinated attacks against several prisons and prison officers across the country since April 13.

According to local media Franceinfo, the arrests follow an investigation conducted by the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT) into charges of “terrorist criminal association” and “organized gang-related damage or destruction of others’ property” across the nine targeted facilities, as well as the “attempted murder linked to a terrorist enterprise against a public official” concerning the Toulon prison.

The attacks involved shots from a military weapon hitting the entrance gate of the La Farlède prison, while security teams were being targeted and vehicles being set on fire at the Aix-Luynes prison. On April 15, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau condemned these attacks and strengthened prison security following the attacks.

The attacks were allegedly a response to Ministry of Justice policies against narcotics and banditry. French justice minister Gérald Darmanin confirmed the news on X (formerly Twitter), hoping the state would “prevail against drug trafficking.”

Relatedly, the Senate approved a bill against drug trafficking on Monday, following an agreement in the joint committee. The bill proposed an overhaul of the penitentiary system, modeled on the Italian justice system, including reducing sentences by two-thirds for those who agree to cooperate with the authorities. Additionally, following violent attacks against prison officers, the Senate adopted amendments to preserve the anonymity of prison officers, including in criminal and administrative matters involving decision-making.

The Senate observed an increasingly worrying trend in drug trafficking in France, with 27.7 tonnes of cocaine seized by the authorities in 2022 alone. This includes the violence related to drug dealing, which has been described as “narco-homicide” by Marseille courts.

On November 1, 2024,  Retailleau stated that France had reached a “tipping point.” He warned that if the country did not step up against drug trafficking, it may potentially lead to intense drug-related violence.