Joint operation activated to address smuggling of contraband into prisons – Director

Acting Prison Director Nicklon Elliot on Tuesday related that the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) is collaborating with the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to address the smuggling of contraband items into the various penitentiaries.
In a telephone interview with Guyana Times, the Prison Director related that after realising the amount of skullduggery that is taking place at the prisons, a decision was taken to conduct frequent searches with the hope of putting a dent in the smuggling ring.
Elliot explained that the implementation of the raids has been helping to reduce the number of improvised weapons, phones, and cannabis among other items being found.
When asked to comment on possible collusion between inmates and prison officers, he stated, “Based on intelligence, yes, this have been happening that is why we are working to reduce that…that is why these searches are being conducted to retrieve whatever items are within the prisons.”
Over the past month, the Joint Services have unearthed almost 100 improvised weapons along with large quantities of ganja, razor blades, cigarettes, metal objects and lighters.
The most recent raid was conducted on Monday last where a number of contraband items were unearthed at the New Amsterdam Prison. Among the items found were seven improvised weapons, a quantity of razor blades and two grams of cannabis.
Additionally, ranks also discovered one cellular phone, twenty lighters, pepper sauce and two cell phone chargers.
Prior to the search at New Amsterdam, 26 knives, 44 “juka”, 19 lighters, six pairs of scissors, 12 cell phones, two SIM cards, two memory cards, five razor blades, a quantity of cell phone parts, 10 cell phone chargers, a quantity of metal objects, a quantity of wires, and 83 smalls transparent ziplock bags containing ganja were found during a search at Lusignan Prison.