France has approved a sweeping new law aimed at intensifying its battle against drug-related crime, including the creation of high-security prisons for the country’s most dangerous drug traffickers. The legislation, passed this week by both the Senate and National Assembly, marks a significant shift in how France handles organized narcotics crime.
Beginning in July 2025, select inmates convicted of serious drug offenses will be held in two maximum-security prisons, modeled after anti-mafia measures in Italy. These facilities will isolate inmates from external influence and criminal networks inside prison walls.
Justice Minister Bruno Retailleau and Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin championed the law, describing it as a response to the “white tsunami” of drug abuse sweeping France. Under the new law, a National Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime (PNACO) will be established in January 2026, along with a dedicated investigative unit targeting major drug crimes.
Controversially, the law allows prosecutors to withhold specific investigative procedures from suspects and their lawyers under exceptional circumstances—a measure critics argue infringes on the right to defense.
The legislation was accelerated following a series of attacks in April targeting prison staff and facilities, believed to be orchestrated by drug gangs. One such case involved the high-profile escape of drug lord Mohamed Amra, who was later recaptured in Romania and is now held in one of the designated high-security prisons.
Human rights groups have criticized the move, calling it a “security-obsessed” strategy that may violate fundamental freedoms.
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