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Seized alcohol and marijuana led to Lusignan prison arson – Samuels
– Eight names of suspected “masterminds” identified
By Shervin Belgrave
The seizure of contraband alcohol and marijuana was the spark that resulted in a riot at the Lusignan Prison that ended in part of the facility destroyed by fire on Sunday, and the names of eight suspect masterminds have been handed over to the Guyana Police Force.
Sections of the prisons that were destroyed by the fire
This was revealed by the Director of Prisons (DoP), Gladwin Samuels, in a press conference held yesterday at the Boardroom of the Ministry of Public Security with some reporters tuning in virtually. Those names are said to be that of inmates who were involved in a riot at the prisons on Sunday which eventually resulted in a fire that destroyed a section of facility and injury to several prisoners.
Initial reports stated that the sequence of events began with the seizure of a number of illegal items and narcotics during a routine search by prison officers.
However, Samuels said this was not true. He detailed that it all began when a prisoner was spotted with a package, acting suspiciously. This prompted prison officers to approach the inmate and conduct a search on him in the presence of other prisoners. In the package that he was carrying, officers found two parcels of an unknown quantity of marijuana along with a bottle of rum. These items were seized immediately and the prisoner was escorted to the Officer in Charge for questioning. Upon seeing this, other inmates started to behave in a disorderly manner.
While officers were trying to calm them down, a fight broke out between two inmates who were working in the kitchen at the time. One officer rushed in to settle the dispute. However, one of the inmates confronted the officer. This led to the officer assaulting the prisoner before dragging him out of the kitchen and into the yard. The inmate continued to resist being restrained by the officer and threatened to kill him. Four other officers rushed to assist their colleague in restraining the prisoner and in the process beat the prisoner.
According to sources, the beating of the inmate riled up the already vexed prisoners even more and they began kicking through walls and breaking down doors. They stormed out into the yard and rioted against the officers demanding that the seized drugs and rum be handed over to them. Several others began setting fire to different sections of the prisons and the prison officers were left with no choice to call in the Fire Department.
When firefighters arrived, the old prison building was totally engulfed with flames and the fire was spreading quickly to other sections of the prisons. The blaze was however contained fairly quickly.
Meanwhile, some prisoners tried to escape in the midst of the chaos which forced officers to fire shots in the air to restore some order. Prison officers were quickly backed up by members of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) who were called in to fully contain the rebellious inmates and prevent any of them from escaping.
A few hours later, fire fighters were successful in extinguishing the blaze, saving other buildings and a section of the administrative office.
Prison doctors were then called in to treat at least 11 prisoners who were injured. Two of the injured were sent to the Georgetown Public Hospital for further treatment. It was later revealed that one of two inmates sent to the hospital was the one assaulted by the prison officers while the other had sustained burns to the arms and shoulders. Both men were treated and sent back to the prisons.
As investigations continue, DoP Samuels informed that because of the fire a total of 284 prisoners were displaced. As a result 27 of those prisoners were transferred to the Georgetown prison, 51 were transported to Timehri and another 50 are in transit to the Mazaruni Prisons. The remaining 156 will be accommodated at the Lusignan Holding Bay.
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