A PRISON officer was arrested Tuesday afternoon when he attempted to smuggle two cellular phones and a two packets of cigarettes into the New Amsterdam Prison.
The ex-policeman had reported for duty on the 14:00 h to 21:00 h shift when when a search was carried out on his person in a sting operation.
The warder, who joined the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) less than two years ago, had been under surveillance, having been suspected of furnishing prisoners with prohibited items.
He was searched on entering the fenced compound and his superiors found the cigarettes in his socks and the mobile phones, minus the SIM cards in his pants pocket.
A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Guyana Chronicle that, whenever such phones are smuggled into the prison, they are taken in without the cards, so that, if retrieved, officials will find it difficult or impossible to trace calls made from them.
Following the bust, Police detectives were summoned and the suspect is in custody assisting with the investigations.