BBC’s drama Death in Paradise is filmed in the beautiful French Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe, where real police fight international drug trafficking and organised crime
Beyond its beautiful white sandy beaches and crystal blue seas, Death in Paradise’s filming destination has a much more sinister side.
The fictional island of Saint Marie is filmed in the French Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe, where scorching sunshine and picturesque palm trees are aplenty. The cast and crew of the BBC drama never have any complaints about flying out to film each series, with the fishing village of Deshaies and La Perle Beach prime locations.
As executive producer Tim Keys once said: “You can’t cheat that feeling when you turn the camera on out in Guadeloupe, and on a beautiful day it just infuses the whole programme with it.” But away from TV screens, the popular holiday resort is home to a dark international drug trade and organised criminal gangs.
British drug mules
Guadeloupe is generally considered safe for tourists by the UK government, which advises to “avoid isolated areas, including beaches, after dark”. While crime is generally rare and most visitors remain trouble-free, there are growing concerns over gang-related violence and drug trafficking.
Back in 2003, two British tourists claimed they were forced into being drug mules by dealers on the islands. Jayne and David Bladen were arrested in Guadeloupe after being stopped with £120,000 worth of cocaine. In the documentary Locked Up Abroad, the couple explained that Jayne had been offered a job lap dancing at a nightclub in Guyana.
However, it wasn’t all that it seemed. Once there, she claims drug dealers forced her and David to carry liquid cocaine across the Caribbean islands into the UK. They got through two customs points before being arrested in Guadeloupe and spent nearly two years in prison, before being cleared and released in 2005.
Crime takedowns
More recently, a huge Interpol operation, known as Operation Trigger VII, took down organised crime groups and individuals involved in firearms trafficking. In 2022, officers from 19 countries seized 350 weapons, 3,300 rounds of ammunition and record drug hauls, including over 10 tonnes of cocaine and 2.5 tonnes of cannabis.
Police made a total of 510 arrests during the week-long operation, which included the subject of an Interpol Red Notice wanted for murder. Lieutenant Colonel Michael Jones said: “Without this cohesive action among agencies, our region will not be able to effectively tackle illicit trafficking and by extension, transnational organised crime.”
Cocaine boats
Just last October, a Guyanese fishing vessel was seized by the Spanish Navy just off the West African coast after 1,000 kilos of cocaine was found on board. The vessel’s crew, four Guyanese and two Albanians were detained. In a statement, the Spanish Tax Agency said they were alerted about an international criminal organisation exchanging large amounts of cocaine at sea.
In February 2023, a French Navy vessel intercepted a boat northwest of Guadeloupe and seized a whopping 19 packs of cocaine, weighing 435kg. According to the local site St Lucia Times, four men were arrested and it was the vessel’s second drug bust in less than a month. The team had reportedly seized over 1.5 tonnes of narcotics since the start of the year.
Extreme violence
The area has made headlines in recent years for ‘extreme violence’ and rioting. During the Covid lockdown in 2021, France was forced to send special forces into the area to restore order following protests.
Demonstrators had initially taken to the streets to protest for mandatory vaccination rules for health workers, but the unrest turned into action against wider socioeconomic issues. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said at the time: “There are still scenes of extreme violence with police forces being shot at with real ammunition.”
- Death in Paradise’s spin-off series Beyond Paradise airs on BBC One at 8pm tonight on Friday, April 12.
