French police launch prison hunt for Chinese-made miniature phones

The phones, no bigger than a cigarette-lighter, were being used to mastermind crimes from inside jail.

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The telephones, no bigger than a cigarette-lighter, are almost entirely plastic, and have a reputation for being virtually invisible to metal detectors.

Under Operation Prison Break, announced on Tuesday by the cyber crime branch of the Paris prosecutor's office, prison officers have been authorised to conduct searches in 500 cells in 66 detention centres.

According to Le Monde newspaper, the devices were nicknamed "suppositories" by prison inmates because of their ease of concealment.

"Investigations have established that some of these telephones were used to commit crimes from inside detention, including drugs trafficking, racketeering, arson and attempted murder," a statement from the prosecutor's office said.