Alert police and prison officials thwarted what appeared to have been a plot to smuggle contraband items, including cannabis and phones, into the Lusignan Prison early yesterday morning.
Police spokesman Jairam Ramlakhan, in a press statement yesterday, said the attempt took place at about 1 am yesterday.
The suspected smuggler managed to escape but Stabroek News was reliably informed that the suspect is being actively pursued by the police.
According to the statement, ranks manning the eastern towers of the Lusignan Prison were alerted after they heard “crashing sounds” coming from the bushes.
Shortly after, they observed a male wearing a hoodie emerging, the statement said.
As a result, a warning shot was fired but the suspect fled back into the “thick vegetation….The area was immediately combed; the male was not seen but three bags containing a number of items were found and lodged,” the police said.
Among the items found in the bags were 1,794 grammes of cannabis, 141 packets of cigarettes, four cellular phones, eleven lighters, fifteen packets of small zip lock bags, a power pack along with an ear piece and a phone charger.
Acting Director of Prisons Kevin Pilgrim told Stabroek News that as a result of the incident, a land clearing exercise was conducted to clear the bushes in the area where the smuggler was positioned.
Pilgrim also said that a number of lights were repositioned to illuminate the area and an estimate has been compiled for additional lighting to be installed.
