— seized at Timehri, New Amsterdam Prisons

THE Guyana Prison Service (GPS) has launched an investigation into the discovery of a quantity of drugs, cell phones and other items found at the Timehri and New Amsterdam Prisons on Thursday, acting Prison Director Gladwyn Samuels has confirmed.

At the Timehri Prison, Samuels said a prison officer is at the centre of the investigation, as a prisoner had indicated that a “prison staff took pay for the items to pass during a visit.”

“The discovery has caused the owner much pain and he is talking about killing prison officers. The police were called in to investigate,” the director noted.

He said the first discovery of the illicit items was made on Wednesday at 14:30hrs, and as such, the Joint Services were ordered to conduct a thorough search, which commenced at 10:30 hrs on Thursday.

Further, a search of a convicted prisoner’s cell at the Timehri Prison on Thursday unearthed 180 grams of cannabis.

Between 09:40-12:30hrs, ranks of the Joint Services conducted a thorough search of the cells at the said Timehri Prison and a number of prohibited items were found.

These are eight lighters, seven smoking utensils, 16 improvised weapons, eight packs of cigarettes, two dining forks, two pairs of scissors, five cell phone chargers, one bottle pepper sauce, three cellular phones, one tattoo machine, a quantity of tobacco and 305 grams of cannabis.

A similar search was also conducted on Thursday at the New Amsterdam Prison under the direction of Deputy Commander ‘B’ Division, Senior Superintendent E Cooper, who was accompanied by 20 police ranks and seven prison officers.

Two dorms, two landings and cells were searched and eight cellular phones, three cellular phone batteries, one cellular phone display, three earphones, five cellular phone chargers, 16 cigarette lighters, two tattoo machines, five improvised weapons, 20 packs cigarettes and three grams of cannabis were found.

In July, over 40 cellphones were seized during exercises at the Lusignan pasture, where several of the inmates had been held following destruction of the Camp Street Prison on July 9.

The possibility of collusion, both from prison officers and prisoners, has not been ruled out, said Prisons Director Gladwyn Samuels.

The prison director had noted that there is some degree of camaraderie among the officers that could possibly explain why certain contraband items trickle into the system.

He explained that due to the number of years some staffers have worked together there is some degree of trust that could foster improper and illegal activities that officers engage in to earn extra cash.

Random searches are carried out on staff members and Samuels said that on more than one occasion, several officers have been dismissed or even sent to prison for their involvement in transporting contraband items.

These searches, he explained, must be carried out by an officer of the similar sex and who is of a higher rank.