France will build a €400 million ($451 million) high-security prison in the Amazon jungle to house drug traffickers and radical Islamists, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin announced during a visit to French Guiana over the weekend.
The facility will be located in the remote jungle near Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, on French Guiana’s border with Suriname. It will accommodate 500 inmates, including 60 in maximum-security units and 15 convicted terrorists. The prison is expected to open by 2028.
“The goal is to take the most dangerous drug traffickers out of action,” Darmanin told French news outlet Le Journal du Dimanche.
The new prison will be near the site of the old Devil’s Island penal colony, which held thousands of prisoners between 1852 and 1954.
Darmanin explained that the prison’s distance from mainland France would prevent criminals from using mobile phones to continue operations. Additionally, the facility will help alleviate overcrowding in local prisons.
The plan comes after recent attacks on prison facilities across France. In some cases, vehicles were set on fire or prisons were shot at.
Earlier this year, France enacted new laws to combat gang activity, which include the creation of a special office for organized crime, expanded powers for investigators, and enhanced protection for informants. The new prison is a key part of this broader effort.
