France, May 20 -- France plans to build a maximum-security prison wing for drug traffickers and radicalised Islamists near a former penal colony in its overseas department of French Guiana, sparking outcry among residents and local officials.

The wing will form part of a $450 million prison announced in 2017, which is expected to be completed by 2028 and hold 500 inmates.

The prison is to 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 Gerald Darmanin announced plans to build the high-security wing during an official visit to French Guiana on Sat...