France will construct a new high-security prison in the jungles of South America, aimed at isolating the country’s most dangerous criminals, including drug lords and Islamist radicals, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin announced in an interview published Sunday.
The facility is set to open in 2028 in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, located in French Guiana, a French overseas territory on the northern coast of South America bordering Brazil and Suriname.
“I have decided to establish France’s third high-security prison in Guiana,” Darmanin told Le Journal du Dimanche (JDD). “It will house 60 inmates under an extremely strict prison regime, with one goal: to remove the most dangerous profiles involved in drug trafficking.”
Justice ministry officials confirmed that 15 of the 60 places will be reserved for individuals convicted of Islamist extremism.
Darmanin, who built his reputation as a tough-on-crime politician during his tenure as interior minister, said the decision is part of a broader effort to strike at all levels of organized crime.
“My strategy is simple—hit organised crime at every level,” he said. “Here in Guiana, where drug trafficking begins; in mainland France, by neutralising network leaders; and all the way to the end users.”
He described the new facility as a “safeguard in the war against narcotrafficking.”
A key feature of the prison, Darmanin emphasized, is its remote location, which is intended to “permanently isolate the heads of drug trafficking networks” and cut off their ability to communicate with criminal associates.
Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni is a known hotspot for so-called "drug mules", many of whom travel from Brazil and attempt to board flights to Paris with cocaine hidden in luggage or ingested. Much of the drug flow originates in neighbouring Suriname.
Earlier this year, Darmanin revealed his plan to isolate France’s top 100 drug traffickers in a dedicated high-security facility to prevent them from continuing their illegal operations from behind bars.
French Guiana has the highest crime rate of any French department relative to its population. In 2023, the region recorded 20.6 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants—nearly 14 times the national average.
Saint-Laurent was once home to France’s infamous Transportation Camp, a penal colony that operated from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century. The remains of that brutal institution still stand today—a historical echo to the future role the town is about to play in France’s modern criminal justice system.
The facility is set to open in 2028 in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, located in French Guiana, a French overseas territory on the northern coast of South America bordering Brazil and Suriname.
“I have decided to establish France’s third high-security prison in Guiana,” Darmanin told Le Journal du Dimanche (JDD). “It will house 60 inmates under an extremely strict prison regime, with one goal: to remove the most dangerous profiles involved in drug trafficking.”
Justice ministry officials confirmed that 15 of the 60 places will be reserved for individuals convicted of Islamist extremism.
Darmanin, who built his reputation as a tough-on-crime politician during his tenure as interior minister, said the decision is part of a broader effort to strike at all levels of organized crime.
“My strategy is simple—hit organised crime at every level,” he said. “Here in Guiana, where drug trafficking begins; in mainland France, by neutralising network leaders; and all the way to the end users.”
He described the new facility as a “safeguard in the war against narcotrafficking.”
A key feature of the prison, Darmanin emphasized, is its remote location, which is intended to “permanently isolate the heads of drug trafficking networks” and cut off their ability to communicate with criminal associates.
Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni is a known hotspot for so-called "drug mules", many of whom travel from Brazil and attempt to board flights to Paris with cocaine hidden in luggage or ingested. Much of the drug flow originates in neighbouring Suriname.
Earlier this year, Darmanin revealed his plan to isolate France’s top 100 drug traffickers in a dedicated high-security facility to prevent them from continuing their illegal operations from behind bars.
French Guiana has the highest crime rate of any French department relative to its population. In 2023, the region recorded 20.6 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants—nearly 14 times the national average.
Saint-Laurent was once home to France’s infamous Transportation Camp, a penal colony that operated from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century. The remains of that brutal institution still stand today—a historical echo to the future role the town is about to play in France’s modern criminal justice system.
