Drugs, razor blades found during Mazaruni Prison raid

A five-hour sweep of the Mazaruni Prison by ranks of both the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Saturday unearthed a number of contraband items among inmates.

Police Officers stationed at the Bartica Police Station, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) along with Prison Officers unearthed 85 razor blades, 12 cigarette lighters, 18 smoking utensils, seven metal spoons, five pieces of rope, three cellular phone charges, one cellular phone battery and three packs of playing cards.
Additionally, a small number of cannabis leaves, seeds and stems were found during the search, which commenced at 06:00h and ended at 11:00h on Saturday.
Just one month ago, a search conducted by ranks of the GPS and GPF at the same prison led to the discovery of a number of contraband items inclusive of cigarettes and marijuana.
On November 6, three SIM cards, 10 cellular phones, 59 packs of cigarettes, six pairs of scissors, 11 improvised weapons, eight lighters, two smoking utensils, eight charges, eight pieces of broken mirrors, and over 1400 grams of cannabis were seized by law enforcement officials.
The GPS conducts regular raids within the prisons, be it internal or joint operation with the Guyana Police Force, to confiscate narcotics, cell phones, improvised weapons and alcohol, among other illegal items.
In the past, prison warders, relatives and friends of inmates have been caught attempting to smuggle contraband items inside of the prisons.
On many occasions, Acting Prisons Director Gladwin Samuels had issued several calls to prison warders and officers to desist from trafficking contraband in the prisons while asking those who are guilty to understand the consequences as the law will take its course.
The Prison Director had told the media in mid-2019 that getting rid of contraband in prison could not be a fight by a few while noting the need for collective efforts.
The trafficking of contraband in the prison environment also put the perpetrators and warders at risk, Samuels had said.
“Prison Officers should not be putting their fellow officers at risk. What about our motto: ‘Together in Service?’ Trafficking in contraband at all locations is a matter of grave concern but at the Mazaruni Prison, which is a maximum-security prison, it is worst because of the extent of the collusion that is needed for many contraband items to get into the prison”.