Colombia’s new hard-right government wants to use prison ships adrift at sea to lock up people it considers highly dangerous criminals, a defence ministry source said on Wednesday.

President Abelardo de la Espriella took office earlier this month, vowing to come down hard on armed groups in Colombia, the world’s largest cocaine producer.

The US-backed millionaire campaigned on a pledge to bomb guerrillas and build so-called “mega prisons” in the style of El Salvador’s leader, Nayib Bukele.

During a security council meeting, the president asked for the prison ship proposal to become a reality, the source said.

The Colombian Navy is in charge of seeing the project through, the source added, without providing further details.

Prison ships supposedly prevent detained people from escaping and limit contact with dangerous individuals and the rest of the world.