Canet-en-Roussillon

Canet-en-Roussillon, a town in the Pyrénées-Orientales department of France, is the location where Ilyas Kherbouch, alias "Ganito," was apprehended on March 20, 2026. Kherbouch, a prisoner who escaped from Villepinte prison on March 7, 2026, was on the run for thirteen days. His escape involved accomplices posing as police officers who extracted him from his cell under the pretense of a transfer to police custody. The arrest in Canet-en-Roussillon occurred at a vacation residence called "Malibu Village" and coincided with Kherbouch's 21st birthday. His companion, a former prison guard who had been recently dismissed from her position at Villepinte, was also arrested. The pair face charges related to organized escape and corruption. The arrest in Canet-en-Roussillon marks the end of a high-profile manhunt and brings attention to security vulnerabilities within the French prison system.