As part of heightened security activities to ensure domestic security, the Joint Services, today, conducted Operation Safe Guard at the Georgetown and New Amsterdam prisons and seized a large quantity of contraband items.
At the Georgetown Prison, 21 improvised weapons and knives, 20 razor blades, 558 grams of marijuana, 22 cellular phones and five gallons of homemade wine, along with a number of other banned items were found. A lesser number of items were found at the New Amsterdam prison. That operation was concluded at 11:30 hrs today.
“Of grave concern to the security forces is that the Georgetown Prison was last searched on September 23, 2016, which means that the contraband item haul accumulated in just under two months,” the Government Information Agency reported.
It said the Government will continue to work closely with the Guyana Prison Service and the Joint Services to address on-going security weaknesses at the nation’s correctional facilities.
The Guyana Police Force, along with the Joint Services where necessary, will continue to scale up security activities in targeted areas to ensure the security of residents and visitors across Guyana as the country enters the holiday season and in light of the alarming rise in criminal activities. GINA said the Government of Guyana continues to urge citizens to cooperate with the security forces.
Below is a full list of items, which were confiscated at the Georgetown Prison:
- 22 cellular Phones
- 558 grams marijuana
- 9 packets cigarettes
- 8 cellular phone chargers
- A quantity zip lock bags
- 45 lighters
- A quantity of bamboo wrapper
- A Quantity of wine
- 21 Weapons
- 4 cellular phone batteries
- 1 arrow
- 2 scissors
- $300 GYD
- $200 TT
- 4 grabber hooks
- 5 gallons of home-made wine,
- 20 razor blades
- 5 sim cards
- 1 tattoo machine
How on earth these items get into the prison? Are the Prison Officers on strike or something? If this is happening how can crime go down in the country?