Latest news with #SaintLaurentduMaroni
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Drug lords will be sent to 'super-max' jungle prison in the Amazon as France looks to turnaround the 'Mexicanization' of its streets by violent gangs
France is set to build a £337million American-style 'super-max' prison in the heart of the Amazon rainforest that will house drug lords and Islamist terrorists. The massive 40,700 square meter complex will be build in Saint Laurent du Maroni, in the jungles of French Guiana, said hardline justice minister Gérald Darmanin on Sunday, who visited the region to make the announcement, amid growing fervour against the so-called 'Mexicanization' of France at the hands of violent drugs gangs. Darmanin told a local outlet that no quarter would be given to those imprisoned at the jail. 'The prison regime will be extremely strict, with one aim: to put the most dangerous narcotraffickers in a place where they can do no harm', he said. The Saint Laurent du Maroni prison will hold up to 500 prisoners, and will have specialised high-security wings specifically for drug barons and Islamist extremists who posed too high a national security risk to be kept in general population. Justice ministry officials added that 15 places would be reserved for convicted Islamist radicals. The prison is due to open in 2028. Darmanin said: 'The drug gang bosses will no longer be able to have any contact with their criminal networks. 'My strategy is simple, hit organised crime at all levels.' In February, drug gangs in France carried coordinated machine-gun and arson attacks on seven prisons in response to the country's harsh new crackdown on the trafficking of illegal substances. Prisons in Toulon, Aix-En-Provence, Marseille, Valence and Nîmes in southern France, and in Villepinte and Nanterre, near Paris, were hit by simultaneous attacks. Police vehicle were set alight at several locations, while at La Farlede prison gunmen opened fired on the prison gate with a Kalashnikov rifle. Bullet holes were at the prison's entrance, while shattered glass was seen still in their frames. French police unions called for increased protection for prison staff. The country's anti-terrorism prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into these attacks to see exactly who was responsible. Darmanin said at the time that 'significant means' would be deployed to investigate the spate of attacks, and that the perpetrators would be given 'extremely severe sentences.' 'I am delighted that the national anti-terrorism prosecutor's office has taken action because this is extremely serious. These are terrorist attacks', he added. 'Clearly people are trying to destabilise the state by intimidating it,' he told the CNews/Europe 1 broadcaster. 'They are doing it because we are taking measures against the permissiveness that existed until now in jails,' he said. Anarchist symbols were seen at some sites while the letters 'DDPF', meaning 'French prisoners' rights', were seen at others. Darmanin and Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau have in recent months vowed to intensify the fight against narcotics and drug-related crime. On May 17, 2025, Justice minister announced that a 500-place high-security prison would be opened by 2028 in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, in the heart of the Guiana jungle, to house prisoners serving the longest sentences for drug trafficking as well as radicalised inmates Darmanin said he was seeking to crack down on 'drug networks that continue to operate from prison cells. 'They order killings, launder money. They threaten police officers, judges, prison guards, and they escape,' he said. The justice minister has so far proposed several measures to tighten prison security, including setting up dedicated high-security jails for drug lords to isolate them from their gangs. France's parliament is currently passing a law that would great a special prosecutor's office to deal with drugs crimes, which would be equipped with new investigative powers. In November, Retailleau warned that the country was at a 'tipping point ' when it came to drug trafficking violence, following a massive shootout in the western city of Poitiers. 'These shootings are not happening in South America, they are happening in Rennes, in Poitiers, in this part of western France once known for its tranquility', he starkly said. 'We are at a tipping point and the choice we have today is a choice between general mobilisation or the Mexicanisation of the country,' he said, citing Mexico's deep problem with cartel violence.
The Guardian
19-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Plans for prison wing in Devil's Island to hold drug traffickers and Islamic militants sparks outcry
French plans to build a maximum-security prison wing for drug traffickers and Islamic militants near a former penal colony in French Guiana have sparked an outcry among residents and local officials. The wing would form part of a $450m (£337m) prison announced in 2017 that is expected to be completed by 2028 and hold 500 inmates. The prison would be built in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, a town bordering Suriname that once received prisoners shipped by Napoleon III in the 1800s, some of whom were sent to the notorious Devil's Island off the coast of French Guiana. French justice minister Gérald Darmanin announced plans to build the high-security wing during an official visit to French Guiana on Saturday. He said in a Facebook post that 15 of the wing's 60 spaces would be reserved for Islamic militants. Darmanin was quoted by Le Journal du Dimanche, a French weekly newspaper, as saying that the prison also aims to keep suspected drug traffickers from having any contact with their criminal networks. 'We are seeing more and more drug trafficking networks,' he told reporters in French Guiana. 'We must react.' French media, quoting the justice ministry, reported that people from French Guiana and French Caribbean territories would be sent in priority to the new prison. The announcement angered many across French Guiana, an overseas French department located in South America. It was once an infamous colony known for holding French political prisoners, including army Capt Alfred Dreyfus, who was accused of being a spy. Dreyfus was incarcerated on Devil's Island, a penal colony that operated for a century and was featured in the bestselling French novel 'Papillon,' which later was made into two movies. Jean-Paul Fereira, acting president of French Guiana's territorial collective, an assembly of 51 lawmakers that oversees local government affairs, said they were taken aback by the announcement since the plan to build a high-security wing was never discussed with them ahead of time. 'It is therefore with astonishment and indignation that the elected members of the Collectivity discovered, together with the entire population of Guiana, the information detailed in Le Journal Du Dimanche,' he wrote in a statement posted on social media. Fereira said the move was disrespectful and insulting, noting that the agreement French Guiana signed in 2017 was for the construction of a new prison meant to alleviate overpopulation at the main prison. 'While all local elected officials have long been calling for strong measures to curb the rise of organised crime in our territory, Guiana is not meant to welcome criminals and radicalised people from (mainland France),' he wrote. Also decrying the plan was Jean-Victor Castor, a member of parliament in French Guiana. He said he wrote directly to France's prime minister to express his concerns, noting that the decision was taken without consulting local officials. 'It's an insult to our history, a political provocation and a colonial regression,' Castor wrote in a statement issued Sunday as he called on France to withdraw the project. A spokesperson for France's justice minister did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
Washington Post
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
France's plan to build a maximum security prison wing in French Guiana angers local officials
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — France plans to build a maximum-security prison wing for drug traffickers and Islamic militants near a former penal colony in French Guiana , sparking an outcry among residents and local officials. The wing would form part of a $450 million prison announced in 2017 that is expected to be completed by 2028 and hold 500 inmates. The prison would be built in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, a town bordering Suriname that once received prisoners shipped by Napoleon III in the 1800s, some of whom were sent to the notorious Devil's Island off the coast of French Guiana.
Associated Press
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
France's plan to build a maximum security prison wing in French Guiana angers local officials
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — France plans to build a maximum-security prison wing for drug traffickers and Islamic militants near a former penal colony in French Guiana, sparking an outcry among residents and local officials. The wing would form part of a $450 million prison announced in 2017 that is expected to be completed by 2028 and hold 500 inmates. The prison would be built in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, a town bordering Suriname that once received prisoners shipped by Napoleon III in the 1800s, some of whom were sent to the notorious Devil's Island off the coast of French Guiana. French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin announced plans to build the high-security wing during an official visit to French Guiana on Saturday. He said in a Facebook post that 15 of the wing's 60 spaces would be reserved for Islamic militants. Darmanin was quoted by Le Journal du Dimanche, a French weekly newspaper, as saying that the prison also aims to keep suspected drug traffickers from having any contact with their criminal networks. 'We are seeing more and more drug trafficking networks,' he told reporters in French Guiana. 'We must react.' The announcement angered many across French Guiana, an overseas French department located in South America. It was once an infamous colony known for holding French political prisoners, including Army Capt. Alfred Dreyfus, who was accused of being a spy. Dreyfus was incarcerated on Devil's Island, a penal colony that operated for a century and was featured in the best-selling French novel 'Papillon,' which later was made into two movies. Jean-Paul Fereira, acting president of French Guiana's territorial collective, an assembly of 51 lawmakers that oversees local government affairs, said they were taken aback by the announcement since the plan to build a high-security wing was never discussed with them ahead of time. 'It is therefore with astonishment and indignation that the elected members of the Collectivity discovered, together with the entire population of Guiana, the information detailed in Le Journal Du Dimanche,' he wrote in a statement posted Sunday on social media. Fereira said the move was disrespectful and insulting, noting that the agreement French Guiana signed in 2017 was for the construction of a new prison meant to alleviate overpopulation at the main prison. 'While all local elected officials have long been calling for strong measures to curb the rise of organized crime in our territory, Guiana is not meant to welcome criminals and radicalized people from (mainland France),' he wrote. Also decrying the plan was Jean-Victor Castor, a member of Parliament in French Guiana. He said he wrote directly to France's prime minister to express his concerns, noting that the decision was taken without consulting local officials. 'It's an insult to our history, a political provocation and a colonial regression,' Castor wrote in a statement issued Sunday as he called on France to withdraw the project. A spokesperson for France's justice minister did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. ____ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
Telegraph
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
France to build jungle prison to hold drug kingpins
France is to build a high-security prison in the South American jungle for its most 'dangerous' criminals, including drug kingpins. Gerald Darmanin, the country's hardline justice minister, said the facility will open in 2028 in Saint-Laurent du Maroni in French Guiana, a n overseas territory situated north of Brazil. 'I have decided to establish France's third high-security prison in Guiana,' Mr Darmanin told the Journal du Dimanche. 'Sixty places, an extremely strict prison regime and one goal – to remove the most dangerous profiles involved in drug trafficking,' he said during a trip to Guiana. 'My strategy is simple – hit organised crime at all levels – here in Guiana, at the start of the drug trafficking route and in mainland France, by neutralising the network leaders, and all the way to consumers. 'This prison will be a safeguard in the war against narco-trafficking,' he added. Crucially, the prison's location 'will serve to permanently isolate the heads of drug trafficking networks' since 'they will no longer be able to contact their criminal networks'. Justice ministry officials also said that 15 places at the prison would be reserved for convicted Islamist radicals. Saint-Laurent du Maroni is a strategic hub for so-called drug mules, mainly from Brazil, who attempt to board flights to Paris carrying cocaine originating in neighbouring Suriname. Mr Darmanin had already said in January he wanted to isolate 'the 100 biggest drug traffickers' in a dedicated facility designed to stop them from pursuing their illegal business from their prison cells. Guiana is the most crime-ridden French department relative to the size of its population, with a record 20.6 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023, nearly 14 times the national average. Saint-Laurent was the location of France's notorious Transportation Camp – a brutal penal colony that operated from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century. The structure remains largely intact.
