France is set to construct a new high-security prison in its overseas territory of French Guiana, aimed at housing drug traffickers and radical Islamists, as announced by the country’s justice minister during a visit to the region. Gérald Darmanin informed Le Journal du Dimanche (JDD) that the facility will focus on combating organized crime at every level of the drug supply chain.
The €400 million (£337 million) prison, which may open as soon as 2028, will be situated in a remote area deep within the Amazon jungle in the northwestern region of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni. This initiative follows a series of violent incidents linked to criminal gangs, which have targeted prisons and staff across France in recent months.
The prison will accommodate up to 500 inmates, featuring a dedicated wing for the most dangerous offenders. In an interview with JDD, the minister stated that the new facility would operate under an "extremely strict carceral regime" aimed at "incapacitating the most dangerous drug traffickers." Darmanin explained that the prison would detain individuals "at the beginning of the drug supply chain" and serve as a "lasting means of dismantling the leaders of drug trafficking networks" in mainland France.
French Guiana, located on the northeast coast of South America, is a region of France. Its residents can vote in French elections and have access to the French social security system, along with various subsidies.
Due to its distance from the French mainland, drug lords "will no longer be able to maintain contact with their criminal networks," Darmanin stated in an interview with JDD.
French authorities have faced ongoing challenges in controlling the influx of mobile phones into the prison system, with tens of thousands reportedly circulating within French jails.
Earlier this year, the French government unveiled new legislation aimed at combating the activities of criminal gangs. This legislation will establish a specialized branch within the prosecutors' office to address organized crime, grant additional powers to investigators, and provide a special protected status for informants.
The plan will also involve the establishment of new high-security prisons, including one in French Guiana, designed to detain the most notorious drug lords. These facilities will implement stricter regulations regarding visits and communication with the outside world.
In recent months, France has experienced a series of attacks on its prisons, which Interior Minister Darmanin has labeled as “terrorist” acts in response to the government's new legislation.
Attackers have set vehicles ablaze outside various prisons, and La Farlede prison in Toulon has been targeted by gunfire. In some cases, those responsible for the attacks have claimed to be advocates for prisoners' rights.
According to the AFP news agency, the proposed new facility in French Guiana will be located at a "strategic crossroads" for drug mules, particularly those coming from Brazil and Suriname. Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, the site of this facility, was once the entry point to the notorious Devil’s Island penal colony, where 70,000 convicts from mainland France were sent between 1852 and 1954. This penal colony inspired French author Henri Charrière's book *Papillon*, which was later adapted into a Hollywood film featuring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman. The BBC has reached out to the French Justice Ministry for a response.
