Security officer jailed for smuggling ganja in sneakers into Camp St Prison
A 21-year-old woman who attempted to sneak 106 grams of marijuana into the Camp Street Prison in Georgetown was on Friday sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.
Teana Anderson, a security guard of “C” Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown, pleaded guilty to trafficking in narcotics before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly, while explaining that she was unaware of what was inside the bag, given to her by someone to take for a prisoner.
Jailed: Teana Anderson
Before passing sentence on Anderson, Magistrate Daly inquired if she had anything to say, and the unrepresented woman replied, “No”.
Apart from the custodial sentence, Anderson has been fined $30,000.
The woman was held at about 13:15h at the penitentiary, where she had gone to take a package for inmate Akeem Edwards, who is serving a lengthy sentence for murder.
When Anderson arrived at the facility, a search was conducted on a black plastic bag she was carrying, and a diligent check unearthed a quantity of cannabis hidden under the sole of a sneaker.
As such, she was told of the offence, cautioned and arrested, before being escorted with the narcotics to the Alberttown Police Station in Georgetown.
Efforts to smuggle drugs into the prisons have caused Director of Prisons Nicklon Elliot to emphasize that smuggling contraband into a correctional facility is a felony with serious repercussions. He is urging citizens to understand the risks they pose to themselves, society, convicts, and officers by dealing in contraband inside the walls of the prisons.
In the meantime, he is praising the prison guards for their vigilance.
In February 2022, Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry had sentenced Edwards to 47 years’ imprisonment after finding him guilty of a murder charge over the killing of a fellow inmate.
On September 14, 2014, in the county of Essequibo, Edwards murdered 21-year-old Teon Smith, who was at the time serving a five-year sentence for robbery under arms.
Edwards must serve 40 years of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
