French prisons attacked as narcos lash out in response to drug policy
France's Minister of Justice, Gerald Darmanin (Photo: Getty Images)
Gunfire, arson, and threats — French prisons are under attack as drug gangs push back against the government’s anti-narcotics crackdown, CNN reports.
In recent days, several prisons across France have come under attack in a coordinated wave of violence that authorities believe is linked to the government’s intensified war on narcotics.
According to the French prison officers’ union UFAP, gunmen fired military-grade weapons at the entrance of Toulon prison, while vehicles were set ablaze outside facilities in Villepinte, Nanterre, Aix-Luynes, and Valence.
In Marseille, assailants attempted an arson attack, and in Nancy, a prison officer was personally threatened at home.
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin condemned the attacks, saying they were meant to "intimidate staff in several prisons, ranging from burning vehicles to firing automatic weapons."
He pledged to respond forcefully, promising a new generation of high-security prisons to isolate major gang leaders.
"The French Republic is facing up to the problem of drug trafficking and is taking measures that will massively disrupt the criminal networks," he declared on X.
The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT) has taken over the investigation, enlisting France’s domestic intelligence agency, DGSI.
Although graffiti reading "DDPF" — potentially standing for "French prisoners’ rights" — was found at multiple crime scenes, authorities have yet to confirm any organized militant group’s involvement.
'White tsunami' of cocaine fuels violence and political shift
France’s growing drug crisis is being blamed on a surge in South American cocaine flooding European markets.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau revealed that 47 tons of cocaine had been seized in just the first 11 months of 2024 — double the amount confiscated in all of 2023.
He warned that the influx had sparked a wave of brutal gang activity, dragging even smaller towns into the orbit of cartel-style violence.
Retailleau ordered immediate reinforcement of prison and staff security, while UFAP issued a statement decrying the attacks as "targeted, cowardly, and heinous," adding, "Prison staff are not cannon fodder."
The spike in narco violence has also pushed French politics rightward, boosting the far-right National Rally party and fueling support for tough-on-crime policies.
Darmanin and Retailleau have made the fight against drug trafficking a top priority, with lawmakers now poised to approve sweeping new legislation to strengthen police powers and establish a national anti-organized crime prosecutor’s office.
Among recent law enforcement victories was the recapture of Mohamed Amra, aka "The Fly," a high-profile fugitive whose prison transport escape in February left two guards dead.
As France fortifies its prisons, the United States is also stepping up its anti-cartel operations. Last week, US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the seizure of $510 million worth of illegal narcotics from vessels near Peru and Ecuador, calling the bust a major blow to the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels.
