France will construct a high-security prison in the heart of the South American jungle to isolate its most dangerous criminals, including drug lords and Islamist radicals, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin announced in comments published Sunday.
Speaking to Le Journal du Dimanche (JDD) during a trip to French Guiana, Darmanin said the facility will open in 2028 in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, a strategic town near the border with Suriname. The plan, revealed by AFP, marks a major escalation in France’s fight against organised crime and narcotrafficking.
“I have decided to establish France’s third high-security prison in Guiana,” said Darmanin, who built a hardline reputation as interior minister before taking over the justice portfolio. “Sixty places, an extremely strict prison regime and one goal – to remove the most dangerous profiles involved in drug trafficking.”
According to justice ministry officials, 15 of those places will be reserved for convicted Islamist extremists, further emphasizing the facility’s focus on isolating high-risk inmates.
Darmanin outlined a comprehensive strategy to tackle drug crime at every stage of the supply chain.
“My strategy is simple – hit organised crime at all levels,” he told JDD. “Here in Guiana, at the start of the drug trafficking route. In mainland France, by neutralising the network leaders. And all the way to consumers. This prison will be a safeguard in the war against narcotrafficking.”
Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni has long been a key transit point for drug “mules,” often from Brazil, attempting to smuggle cocaine—either hidden in luggage or ingested—via flights to Paris’s Orly Airport. Its location makes it ideal for isolating criminal kingpins, Darmanin argued.
“This prison will serve to permanently isolate the heads of drug trafficking networks,” he said. “They will no longer be able to contact their criminal networks.”
French Guiana, a French overseas territory bordering Brazil and Suriname, is the most violent department in the country relative to its population. In 2023, it recorded 20.6 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants—nearly 14 times the national average.
The choice of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni is historically significant. It was once the site of France’s infamous Transportation Camp, a brutal penal colony that operated from the 19th to the mid-20th century. The ruins of that era still stand today.
In January, Darmanin had already announced plans to isolate “the 100 biggest drug traffickers” in a secure facility to sever their ties with criminal networks. The new prison in Guiana appears to be a cornerstone of that initiative.
The move underscores President Emmanuel Macron’s push for tighter internal security. Macron and Darmanin visited the high-security Vendin-le-Vieil prison in northern France earlier this week, signaling continued focus on reforming France’s penal system to address terrorism and organised crime.
