French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin has expressed dissatisfaction with the current measures to combat drug trafficking, reports Le Figaro.
Darmanin emphasized that the drug situation in the country requires a revision of current approaches. Over the past two weeks, Darmanin, who previously served as Minister of the Interior, has been actively promoting initiatives to fight drug-related crime. Recently, he announced plans to isolate 100 of the largest drug dealers from the 17,000 inmates currently imprisoned for drug trafficking.
The minister stated that he has already requested a list of these inmates and promised that a new system, inspired by methods used against terrorists, will be implemented in the coming weeks. According to Darmanin, French prisons make a mistake by mixing all inmates together, allowing drug dealers to continue their illegal activities behind bars.
Darmanin also highlighted the problem of prison overcrowding, which complicates efforts to combat drug-related crimes. Another significant challenge is the use of mobile phones by inmates—over 40,000 devices were confiscated in 2024 alone.
In the spring of last year, while still serving as Minister of the Interior, Darmanin initiated a series of anti-drug raids to demonstrate the government’s commitment to tackling the issue. These operations resulted in the arrest of 1,738 individuals.
