Home News Bag of ganja, cell phone found in NA Prison yard
Police have launched an investigation to determine how a bag containing marijuana, a cellular phone and other contraband items got over the fence of the New Amsterdam Prison on Saturday afternoon.
A Prison Officer reportedly alerted his superiors to the find. This publication understands that at about 14:30h, the officer discovered the bag lying on the ground inside the compound of the prison close to the eastern fence. The officer reportedly checked the bag and discovered 1.15kg of marijuana, a cellular phone, several packs of cigarettes, and 300 zip locked plastic bags.
According to the officer, he noticed an object sailing over the fence and went to check on the bag, which landed next to the wall close to the building, which houses the remand male prisoners.
However, when investigators from the Police Force visited the prison to investigate, they found that the prison officer’s story was not totally accurate.
Deputy Divisional Commander, Senior Superintendent Edmond Cooper, who led the investigating team, said the time on the surveillance footage showing when the bag was tossed over the fence differs from the time the prison officer said he had seen the bag coming over the fence.
Prison Officer Joan Ann Erskine was only recently nabbed with 298 grams of ganja at the New Amsterdam Prison. She was jailed for 18 months and fined 0,000 by Senior Magistrate Alex Moore after she was found guilty of trafficking in narcotics.
Meanwhile, on August 3 last, members of the Joint Services were able to seize eight cellular phones during an operation at the New Amsterdam Prisons.
Senior Superintendent Cooper led a party which included 20 police officers and seven prison officers to the New Amsterdam Prison for the search. During the visit, two dormitories were searched along with a few holding cells. Apart from the cellular phones, lighters and other contraband items were unearthed.
They discovered eight cellular phones, three cellular phone batteries, one cellular phone display, three ear phones, five cellular phone chargers, sixteen cigarette lighters, two tattoo machines, five improvised weapons, twenty packs of cigarettes and three grams of cannabis.
The find at the New Amsterdam Prison came one day after members of the Joint Services were able to find similar items at the Timehri Prison.
Meanwhile, several weeks ago, a quantity of cannabis, three cellular phones along with three SIM cards, four lighters, 20 improvised weapons and three razor blades were found at the facility following a search.