The escape of five very violent prisoners that occurred three months ago in the Vale de Judeus prison, in Portugal, was a serious blow to the self-esteem of the country’s prison system, but the successive arrests of the escapees is partly repairing the bad image of so. The Georgian Shergili Farjiani, 40, was arrested on Tuesday in Padua (Italy), as confirmed in a statement by the Portuguese Judicial Police, which highlighted the collaboration of the Italian authorities.
Farjiani was serving seven years in prison for the crimes of robbery with violence and forgery in Portugal, although an extradition request was pending. Since he was incarcerated, he accumulated numerous infractions in prison, such as drug possession. In addition, he carried out four hunger strikes between 2021 and 2024. The longest lasted five days.
With his arrest, the number of captured inmates rises to three. Fábio Loureiro, alias Cigano33 years old, who was serving a 25-year sentence for drug trafficking, kidnapping and robbery, among other crimes, was the first escapee arrested while walking through Tangier with a friend. He barely spent a month in freedom. He is now waiting in a Moroccan prison for his extradition to Portugal to be authorized.
Fernando Ribeiro Ferreira, 61, was also arrested in November while he was in a house in the Trâs-os-Montes region, in northern Portugal. He is the only one who has been surprised within the country after the collective escape from the Vale de Judeus prison, which occurred on September 9.
Only two prisoners remain free, the British Mark Cameron Roscaleer and the Argentine Rodolfo Lohrmann, alias El Ruso, who is considered the mastermind of the escape. Detaining Lohrmann is the biggest challenge facing the Portuguese Judicial Police, given his ability to camouflage himself behind multiple identities and move around the world. The gangs he has led have committed kidnappings, extortion and crimes in more than a dozen countries in America and Europe.
Lohrmann is wanted by the Argentine authorities to try to clarify the whereabouts of Cristian Schaerer, the 21-year-old student who was last seen in 2023, near his home, in the Argentine city of Corrientes, before being kidnapped by the organization. from The Russian. Although the family paid a ransom of $277,000 (about 250,000 euros), he was never found dead or alive.
The Ministry of Justice has nine disciplinary files open for the numerous irregularities recorded to enable Vale de Judeus’ escape, which affect the then director of the prison, the head of the prison guards and seven officials. Furthermore, the escape cost the general director of Penitentiary Services, Rui Abrunhosa Gonçalves, his job.
