France has plans to build a high-security prison in a remote area of the South American jungle for the nation’s most “dangerous” criminals, including drug kingpins. Gerald Darmanin, France’s justice minister, revealed the facility will open in 2028 in Saint-Laurent du Maroni in French Guiana, a French overseas territory north of Brazil.
“I have decided to establish France’s third high-security prison in Guiana,” said Mr Darmanin, reported the Journal du Dimanche. “Sixty places, an extremely strict prison regime and one goal – to remove the most dangerous profiles involved in drug trafficking.” He added that the prison’s remote location will serve to permanently isolate the heads from their drug trafficking networks. Officials from the justice ministry also revealed that 15 places at the prison would be reserved for convicted Islamist radicals.
“My strategy is simple – hit organised crime at all levels – here in Guiana, at the start of the drug trafficking route and in mainland France, by neutralising the network leaders, and all the way to consumers,” Mr Darmanin continued. “This prison will be a safeguard in the war against narco-trafficking.”
Saint-Laurent du Maroni, located in northwest French Guiana, was founded in 1858 by French admiral and colonial administrator Auguste Baudin and was formerly the arrival point for prisoners, who arrived at its Transportation Camp. In 1880, the town became the capital city of a special prison commune. Final closure of the prison came in 1946, but the structure remains largely intact.
It has become a strategic hub for drug mules, mainly from Brazil, who attempt to board flights to Paris carrying cocaine originating in Suriname.
In 2023, Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni recorded 20.6 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants – nearly 14 times the national average.
In January, Mr Darmanin revealed his intention to isolate “the 100 biggest drug traffickers” in a dedicated facility designed to cut them off from their businesses.