More weapons, cell phones found in Camp St. Prison

Less than a month after a number of inmates were transferred back to the Camp Street Prison, some of them have managed to get their hands on contraband.

Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuel said that between 06:15 and 08:45 hrs wednesday, a joint operation was carried out on the entire brick building in the Camp Street compound where a small portion of cannabis, three cell phones with SIM cards, four lighters, 20 improvised weapons and three razor blazes were found.

Getting information on how the inmates have gotten their hands on the contrabands has always been a challenge for authorities, but it is suspected that rogue prison warders and the relatives of those in prison have smuggled them into the jail. The search on the facility comes after the July 09, prison break which resulted in 90 percent of the jail being burnt to the ground.

Just around 17:00hrs inmates set fires at several sections of the prison to distract the authorities as Lusignan killer, Mark Royden Durant, ex-cop Uree Varswyck, Stafrei Alexander Hopkinson and Desmond James escaped. James and Hopkinson have since been nabbed.

Prison surveillance camera footage showed Durant; Varswyck; Alexander; James; another Bartica and Lusignan Massacre killer, Dennis Williams called “Anaconda” and Shawn Collins exiting the facility and making their way towards Bent Street, Georgetown while opening fire on the TSU ranks outside.

The inmates were armed with two guns and cutlasses. The CCTV footage subsequently showed Williams running back into the prison compound while looking out for the prison guards— it was later revealed that the escapees had already gotten into a car and left him behind.

Collins was captured a few hours later on Hadfield Street, Georgetown.

And on July 24, 13 prisoners crawled to freedom through a tunnel they had gun in a latrine in the Lusignan holding facility. The Lusignan Prison escapees went wild, with some of them visiting their homes and others expressing, via Facebook, their joy at being free. But for many, that freedom was short lived. Twelve of those inmates have since been captured.

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) recently offered a $10M reward for the arrest of those who are still at large. They include Durant, Varswyck, Paul Goriah and Cobena Stephens.

(Kaieteur news)