France will construct a €400 million high-security prison in its overseas territory of French Guiana to incarcerate drug traffickers and radical Islamists, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin announced during a visit to the region.
The facility, slated to open by 2028, will be located in a remote area of the Amazon jungle near Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni. It will house up to 500 inmates, including a dedicated wing for the most dangerous criminals. Darmanin described the prison as part of a broader strategy to dismantle organized crime networks by severing their leaders' connections to operations in mainland France.
"The goal is to incapacitate the most dangerous drug traffickers with an extremely strict carceral regime," Darmanin told Le Journal du Dimanche (JDD). "Being so far from Europe, they will no longer be able to maintain contact with their criminal networks."
The announcement follows a surge in gang-related violence targeting French prisons and staff in recent months. Authorities have struggled to curb the flow of contraband, including tens of thousands of illicit mobile phones, into detention facilities.
French Guiana, a South American territory bordering Brazil and Suriname, was chosen due to its strategic position along major drug trafficking routes. The new prison will also help alleviate overcrowding in mainland facilities.
The government’s anti-crime measures include establishing a specialized prosecutors' unit for organized crime, expanding investigative powers, and offering enhanced protections for informants. Additional high-security prisons are planned in mainland France, including facilities in Vendin-le-Vieil and Condé-sur-Sarthe.
Darmanin has framed recent attacks on prisons—including arson and shootings—as "terrorist" responses to the crackdown. Some perpetrators have claimed to act in defense of prisoners' rights.
The French Guiana site lies near the infamous Devil’s Island, a former penal colony immortalized in the novel Papillon. The new facility underscores France’s commitment to disrupting drug trafficking "at all levels," Darmanin said, targeting both low-level operatives and kingpins.