France has announced plans to construct a new high-security prison in French Guiana, targeting drug traffickers and radical Islamists. The country’s Justice Minister, Gérald Darmanin, revealed that the €400m facility will focus on combating organised crime at all levels of the drug supply chain.
The prison, expected to open by 2028, will be located deep in the Amazon jungle in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, a remote area in northwestern French Guiana. This decision comes in the wake of violent incidents involving criminal gangs targeting prisons and staff across France in recent months.
Designed to accommodate up to 500 inmates, the new prison will feature a separate wing dedicated to housing the most dangerous criminals. Darmanin emphasized that the facility will implement an extremely strict carceral regime to incapacitate the most threatening drug traffickers.
The minister stated that the prison will serve as a means of detaining individuals at the beginning of the drug trail and eliminating the heads of drug trafficking networks in mainland France. With French Guiana being a region of France in South America, its geographical isolation will prevent incarcerated drug lords from maintaining contact with their criminal networks.
French authorities have been grappling with the issue of mobile phones infiltrating the prison system, with tens of thousands circulating through French jails. To address this challenge and combat organised crime effectively, the government has introduced new legislation, including measures to establish a dedicated branch of the prosecutors’ office, grant additional powers to investigators, and provide protected status for informers.
The proposed high-security prison in French Guiana is strategically positioned at a crossroads for drugs mules, particularly from neighboring countries like Brazil and Suriname. Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, the chosen location for the facility, holds historical significance as it was once the port of entry to the infamous Devil’s Island penal colony.
The penal colony, immortalized in Henri Charrière’s book “Papillon” and its subsequent Hollywood adaptation, served as a place of exile for convicts from mainland France between 1852 and 1954. The construction of the new prison marks a significant step in addressing the challenges posed by drug trafficking and organised crime in the region.
French authorities remain committed to enhancing security measures and cracking down on criminal activities, with the ultimate goal of safeguarding public safety and upholding the rule of law. The move to establish a high-security prison in French Guiana underscores the government’s determination to combat illicit drug trade and ensure the effective administration of justice.
