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The Construction Will Cost € 400 Million and Will Be in a Remote Area of the Amazon Rainforest; New Legislation Also Creates Special Prosecutors Against Organized Crime
France will build a new high-security prison in French Guiana to house drug traffickers and extremists. The announcement was made by Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin during an official visit to the French overseas territory.
The facility will be located in an isolated region of the Amazon rainforest, near the city of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni in northwestern French Guiana, close to the Suriname border.
According to the minister, the goal is to weaken organized crime networks by making it difficult for leaders to communicate with their bases.
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Direct Combat to Organized Crime
The new prison is part of a broader package of actions against drug trafficking and criminal factions. According to Darmanin, the facility targets organized crime “at all levels” of drug trafficking, especially those responsible for the entry routes into the country.
The minister explained that the prison will be used to detain people “at the beginning of the drug trail” and also to remove network leaders operating in mainland France. The structure will include a separate wing to house the most dangerous criminals.
The estimated investment is € 400 million (approximately R$ 2.5 billion), and it is expected that the prison will be completed by 2028. With a capacity of up to 500 people, the location will have strict security rules, with an “extremely rigorous” prison regime.
Stricter Legislation
The prison project accompanies the implementation of new legislation aimed at combating criminal organizations. Among the measures announced by the French government is the creation of a specific branch of the Public Prosecutor’s Office dedicated to dealing with organized crime.
This structure will also grant additional powers to investigators, as well as a new special protection status for whistleblowers and informants who cooperate with investigations.
Additionally, other high security prisons are expected to be built in different regions of France, following the same model as the facility in French Guiana. These prisons will have stricter rules for visits and communication with the outside world.
Response to Recent Attacks
The decision to build a remote prison was also motivated by a series of violent incidents in French prisons. Darmanin classified these episodes as “terrorist” and said they represent a response from factions to government actions.
In some cases, vehicles were set on fire in front of detention centers, and the La Farlede prison in Toulon was targeted by gunfire. In certain incidents, the perpetrators called themselves defenders of prisoners’ rights.
The new prison will be built in a region considered strategic for drug trafficking, especially due to the routes connecting Brazil and Suriname.
The minister stated that, due to the distance from the mainland, drug lords will no longer be able to maintain contact with their criminal networks.
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