A PRISON officer was on Friday morning remanded to prison after being slapped with charges for trafficking narcotics and being in possession of prohibited articles in the Camp Street Prison.Clayton Thomas, 44, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry. Thomas, who reportedly had been a prison officer for over a year, pleaded not guilty to the charge which read that on March 17 at the Camp Street Prison, Georgetown, he had in his possession 22 grams of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.The court was told that on the same day, it is alleged that he took 16 packs of Bristol cigarettes into the prison. The man also denied the charge.
Police Prosecutor Michael Grant the court that on the day in question, acting on information, prison officers went to Thomas’s office, conducted a search on him and found a small bag in his pants crotch; a search of the bag yielded leaves, seeds and stems suspected to be from the plant cannabis sativa. During the search on Thomas, the ranks also found two packs of cigarettes in his shoe and 14 more packs on various parts of his body. The defendant was then arrested and charged for the said offence.
Grant objected to bail on grounds of the nature, gravity and prevalence of the offence and the magistrate upheld the prosecution’s objection; Thomas was therefore refused bail and will make his next court appearance on April 7 before city Magistrate Judy Latchman.