Convict implicates warder after drug find at Timehri jail

A New Amsterdam Prison Officer is now a member of the inmate population after being remanded to prison yesterday on a charge of possession of narcotics for trafficking and introducing a prohibited item into the prison.

Gladwin King, 39, a prison officer, of Lot 331 Fort Ordinance Housing Scheme, appeared before Magistrate Renita Singh at the Albion Magistrate’s Court.

The first charge against King stated that on October 3rd, at the New Amsterdam Prison, he had 1,032 grammes of cannabis in his possession for the purpose of trafficking. The second charge stated that on the same date at the New Amsterdam Prison, King introduced a prohibited article, that is, 19 packs of Pall Mall cigarettes.

The unrepresented man plead not guilty to both charges.

The police prosecutor noted that there is surveillance footage of King, fully dressed in his uniform, committing the crimes. The prosecutor objected to bail based on the nature and the gravity of the offence.

King, a father of six, was subsequently remanded to prison until October 26th, when a hearing is slated for the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court.

King was arrested and handed over to the police in Berbice on Wednesday after prison authorities say he was spotted with parcels that were thrown over the prison’s fence. Gladwin King

In a press statement, Gladwin Samuels, acting Director of Prisons, noted that King allegedly conspired with prisoners to secure the items in the prison’s kitchen.

The statement said that a manager acted on information received and caused a search to be conducted, which led to the discovery of the items.

Samuels also claimed that the accused, in a telephone interview, admitted his involvement to him, while saying that the items were to be handed over to a specific prisoner. A prison officer is now in custody after he was implicated by an inmate in the smuggling of marijuana into the Timehri Prison.

A total of 584 grammes of suspected cannabis, equivalent to just over a pound, was handed over to the police by the officer-in-charge of the prison on Wednesday.

The cannabis, which was packed in a quantity of zip-lock bags and two plastic bottles, was alleged to have been found in the possession of a 42-year-old orderly.

The convict, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence for the offence of buggery and rape, was reportedly observed in the prison compound with the cannabis and upon being questioned indicated that he received it from the prison officer.

The orderly then reportedly took the police to a storeroom, where two additional plastic bottles containing cannabis were seen. As a result, the prison officer was questioned and he denied having knowledge of the drugs. Nevertheless, he was still taken into custody pending the findings of the investigation.

Collusion between prison warders and inmates has been blamed for the continued smuggling of contraband into prison facilities across the country.

Meanwhile, Wednesday saw drug finds at two other prisons.

Ranks on duty at the Georgetown Prison discovered a white, bulky plastic bag hanging from the barb wire along the southern fence.

The bag was taken down and an examination revealed suspected cannabis packed in transparent zip-lock bags inside. The drug amounted to 104 grammes.

Additionally, a prison officer was arrested on Wednesday at the New Amsterdam Prison for allegedly smuggling cannabis and cigarettes into the facility.

On Sunday, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan urged officers of the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) to speak out on collusion between their fellow ranks and inmates. “I’ve said on several occasions that silence is violence. If we shut our mouths to the wrongdoings, it will occur, so we must speak out,” Ramjattan was reported as saying by the Department of Public Information during remarks at the 35th GPS Thanksgiving Service for Prison Service Week.

He had also noted that a total of 28 ranks had been dismissed for the year. Of the 28 dismissed ranks, 11 were charged for drug trafficking-related offences. Additionally, he said there are currently 12 ranks interdicted from duty, nine of whom are charged either departmentally or criminally with trafficking-related activities. Seeing a house being towed on a tractor/trailer with police escort is quite a common sight on the Corentyne, where some homeowners sell their wooden homes but not their land. The buyers will then remove the houses and reassemble them at their desired locations.