Lusignan prisoner disarmed of knife, cutlass by fellow inmate

…ranks seize more ganja at NA Prison

Authorities at the Lusignan Prison, on the East Coast of Demerara, are currently investigating the circumstances under which a prisoner came into possession of a knife and a cutlass, as well as another attempt to throw contraband into the facility.
Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels said on Saturday that the two blades were seen earlier in the day in the possession of the suspect, who was immediately disarmed by another inmate. The weapons were then thrown out of the holding bay and the matter was reported to the officers on duty at the facility.

A search was subsequently carried out and the items were found outside the North-eastern fence of the holding bay. Following the discovery, Samuels said the Police were called in and an investigation has since been launched.
Meanwhile, at about 15:30h again on Saturday, ranks from the Prisons Service and the Police Force stationed at the New Amsterdam penitentiary, observed a civilian outside the prison preparing to throw suspected contraband into the facility. The officers intercepted the man, however, he managed to escape but dropped several parcels in the process.
Upon examination, the officers found that the parcels, which had “Bless up” written on them, were packets of seeds, leaves and stems suspected to be marijuana. There was also a box of ‘Bambu’, which is a paper used to wrap the illicit drug for smoking.
The Prison Director has reiterated pleas to the public to cease such acts.
“I wish to encourage members of the public to desist from introducing contraband into the prison as it is a criminal offence that can lead to imprisonment and it also affects the security of the prison,” he appealed.
This incident comes on the heels of ranks of the Joint Services unearthing a quantity of illicit items including a ganja plant and over 30 improvised weapons during a three-hour routine search at the East Coast Demerara penitentiary on Monday.
In addition to the ganja plant and the 31 improvised weapons, the other prohibited items found during the prison raid included eight cellphones; 10 cellphone batteries; five cellphone chargers; two sim cards; two memory cards; 11 pieces of metal pipes; nine pieces of wood; seven phone cards; one tattoo machine, along with ink; three ziplock bags with cannabis; one small bottle of cannabis seeds; one packet of cigarettes, and a quantity of ziplock bags.
Only two weeks ago, ranks from the Lusignan Prison intercepted an attempt to smuggle contraband items. It was reported that just after midnight on June 11, 2018, Police and prison ranks stationed at the eastern towers of the Lusignan Prison spotted a male clad in a hoodie emerging from the bushes nearby.
A “warning shot” was fired causing the suspect to flee back into the thick vegetation. The area was immediately combed but the man was nowhere to be found. Nevertheless, the ranks discovered a bag containing a number of illicit items such as a lighter and cellphones along with accessories.
The smuggling of contraband items remains a perennial problem within the prisons system and while authorities have been working to curb the practice, several prison officers have been caught facilitating the illegal trade, which is said to be a “big business”.