A MINISTRY of Health employee was on Friday charged with stealing drugs from the Materials Management Unit (MMU) Bond at Diamond, East Bank Demerara.

Daquan Griffith, 19, of Castello Housing Scheme, Georgetown appeared before City Magistrate, Leron Daly and pleaded not guilty to the offence of simple larceny. It is alleged that on May 17, 2017 at the MMU bond, Griffith stole four boxes of On Call Plus Blood Glucose test strips, valued $20,000, property of the Ministry of Health.

Defence lawyer, Leslie Benjamin in an application for bail, told the court that Griffith has been employed by the Ministry of Health for the past two years. Police Prosecutor, Sanj Singh did not obeject to the accused being released on bail.

Bail was granted in the sum of $50,000 bail and the matter was adjourned to June 2, 2017. On the day in question,15 employees from the MMU Bond were arrested following the discovery of medical supplies that were allegedly stolen.

Officials had suspected that drugs were being stolen from the unit but did not have evidence. However, on Wednesday evening, an MMU officer observed drugs stashed inside the toilet of the MMU bond.

The officer did not raise an alarm but informed another trusted colleague and a sting operation was set up.

The MMU officials left the bond but returned later when other MMU employees were about to leave in a bus, then ordered them out and conducted a search, during which the stolen drugs were discovered.

Items stashed included Clozole (an anti-fungal cream used for yeast infection); On Call Plus (used mainly by diabetics to test the blood sugar); Chlorophane (a cough medicine) and Ferrovite (a multivitamin product used to treat or prevent low blood levels of iron and vitamin B12).