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Waste disposal crew smuggle ganja, cigarettes to Lusignan Prison
- weapons, cell phones, tattoo machines unearthed at NA and Timehri prisons
Items unearthed during
random searches yesterday
The disposal crew outside the Lusignan Prison was reportedly there to pick up human waste. But police suspected that something stank about the whole affair.
The ranks quickly discovered that the crew was also attempting to smuggle prohibited items to the inmates.
At around 10:45 hrs, police, acting on information, conducted a search of the Cevon’s Waste Management truck, just before it entered the “Old Compound” of the Lusignan Prison. They unearthed a haversack containing over 860 grammes of cannabis and two cartons of cigarettes.
“The driver and two porters, one being a female were searched and 24 grams of cannabis were found in the driver’s pants pocket,” a police release stated.
The driver, a 25 year-old man, of Middle Walk, Buxton, East Coast Demerara, along with the porters – a 26-year-old male from Russell Street, Charlestown, Georgetown and a 32-year-old female of ‘C’ Field Reserve, Sophia, are in custody assisting with the investigation.
Director of Prisons Gladstone Samuels said that it is possible that the same waste disposal crew might have smuggled items into the prison on previous occasions. Investigations are underway to ascertain if this is the case.
Responding to the discovery and others, Samuels said: “I am not surprised, because we still have corrupt people in the system. You put systems in place and they are now using civilians.”
Random searches yesterday at Lusignan, New Amsterdam and Timehri Prisons revealed that despite heightened security following July’s devastating fire, the murder of a warden and two massive prison breaks, civilians and corrupt staffers are still finding ways to smuggle prohibited items to inmates.
Yesterday, police and prison ranks found several improvised weapons at the Lusignan holding area.
Between 10.30 hrs and 13.30 hrs yesterday, a snap prison search in two dormitories, two landings cells at the New Amsterdam Prisons unearthed eight cellular phones, three cell phone batteries, three ear phones and a cell phone display, five cell phone chargers, 16 cigarette lighters, two tattoo machines, five improvised weapons, 20 packs of cigarettes and three grammes of cannabis.
The search was headed by ‘B Division Deputy Commander Superintendent E. Cooper, along with 20 police ranks and seven prison officers.
Also, between 09:40 and 12:30hrs, ranks of the Joint Services searched Timehri Prison and the following prohibited items were found: eight lighters, seven smoking utensils, 16 improvised weapons, 8 packs of cigarettes, two dining forks, two pairs of scissors, five cell phone chargers, a bottle of pepper sauce, three cellular phones, a tattoo machine, a quantity of tobacco and 305 grammes of cannabis.
On July, 9, last, prisoners managed to acquire flammable items which they used to destroy most of the Georgetown Prison. Eight inmates also escaped after killing a warden.
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