French Guiana: A High-Security Prison to Isolate the Most Dangerous Drug Traffickers

Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin outlined in the JDD a groundbreaking project aimed at strengthening the fight against organized crime from overseas territories.

Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin announced this weekend, in the pages of Journal du dimanche, the construction of a high-security prison in French Guiana designed to house the most dangerous drug traffickers. Located in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, this new 500-inmate facility is expected to open by 2028.

An Ultra-Secure Wing for Drug Lords

Among the planned facilities is a special 60-cell wing reserved for key figures in drug trafficking, with an extremely strict detention regime. “I have decided to establish France’s third high-security prison in French Guiana,” Darmanin said during a trip to the Amazon. “These traffickers will no longer be able to have any contact with their criminal networks.”

The minister also revealed on his X account (formerly Twitter) that the prison will include 15 places specifically dedicated to Islamist and radicalized inmates.

With this project, the government aims to reaffirm its commitment to dismantling criminal networks in the overseas territories by neutralizing their leaders through high-surveillance incarceration in this strategic gateway for drug trafficking.

If you want, I can adapt it to a shorter format or make it more concise.