Three Quebec inmates who sparked an international manhunt were in court Monday after spending their first night back in custody since their brazen prison escape by helicopter earlier this month.
Yves Denis, Denis Lefebvre and Serge Pomerleau appeared before a judge in a Quebec City courtroom, where a trial for their drug trafficking charges resumed under tight security.
The inmates were brought in separate police convoys, and visitors were required to show identification and pass through metal detectors.
The three inmates, all clad in T-shirts and handcuffs, looked tired and dishevelled as they appeared in the prisoner’s box.
The men, who were arrested Sunday during an early morning police raid in Montreal, are now facing charges of prison breach and escaping lawful custody after fleeing Orsainville detention centre, located near Quebec City., on June 7.
The charges could earn them each an additional 12 years in prison.
In court, Quebec Superior Court Justice Louis Dionne suspended his earlier ruling that granted an easement on the men’s conditions in prison prior to their escape. The prison conditions for the men were eased despite the prison being aware that there was a possibility of a jailbreak plot.
On Monday, Dionne ordered tighter controls for the men by limiting their computer access in jail and forbidding them from strolling together in the jail courtyard in the evening. The judge also insisted the men be cuffed and shackled during their visits to the courthouse.
Prior to their escape, the three men were facing trial on numerous charges including first-degree murder, gangsterism and drug trafficking. All three were arrested in 2010 in a drug trafficking blitz called 'Operation Crayfish.'
Crown Prosecutor Antoine Piche acknowledged that it was unusual for the trial to continue with the men on the lam.
“What’s pretty rare is that they are coming back now, so I believe that’s the first time that something like this has happened,” Crown prosecutor Antoine Piche told reporters.
Police confirmed Monday that the men had $100,000 in cash stashed at their Montreal hideout, a condo where the Quebec provincial police SWAT team arrested the trio during an early morning raid Sunday.
“We think that the money was supposed to be used to leave the country, it’s a possibility, buy some clothes with, and maybe some food,” said Lt. Michel Brunet, of the Surete du Quebec.
The June 7 escape landed the three men on Interpol's ‘Most Wanted’ fugitives list, sparking an international manhunt.
The inmates’ next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday. A trial for their murder charges is expected to start in 2015.
The Quebec government is investigating the jailbreak, which is the second prison escape by helicopter in the province in little more than a year.
In March 2013, two inmates fled a Quebec detention centre by helicopter. They were recaptured a short time later.
With a report from CTV Montreal’s Max Harrold and with files from The Canadian Press
