The French government has announced plans to construct a maximum-security prison in French Guiana, a French overseas department on the northeastern coast of South America. This facility is intended to house the most dangerous criminals, including drug traffickers and radical Islamists.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin stated that the prison will be "the third most secure in France," featuring 60 cells under strict incarceration conditions. An additional 15 cells will be designated for radical Islamist inmates. The prison aims to disrupt organized crime networks by targeting key figures in the drug supply chain.
The project, estimated to cost €400 million, is scheduled for completion by 2028. It will be situated in a remote area deep within the Amazon jungle. The initiative follows a series of violent incidents linked to criminal gangs, which have impacted prisons and correctional staff across France in recent months.
French Guiana, as an integral part of France, grants its residents the right to vote in French elections and access to the national healthcare system.