A female prison officer who was yesterday charged with the possession of narcotics was remanded to prison.
She was allegedly found with marijuana in the compound of the New Amsterdam jail on Saturday morning. A subsequent search of her vehicle also allegedly led to the discovery of a quantity of cannabis.
Angelica Cameron, 32, a prison officer at the New Amsterdam Prison and of Glasgow Housing Scheme, East Bank Berbice, yesterday appeared before Magistrate Peter Hugh at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court where she was charged with two counts of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.
It was stated that on Saturday, December, 9, at the New Amsterdam Prison she had in her possession a narcotic that is to say 137 grams of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.
Cameron, who was represented by Attorney at Law, Ryan Crawford, was also faced with the charge that on Saturday December, 9, at Penitentiary Walk, New Amsterdam, she had in her possession a narcotic that is to say 152 grams of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.
The prison officer pleaded not guilty to both charges, however, bail was denied and she was remanded to prison.
She will return to court on December, 27.
The police on Monday said that an alert female prison officer who was on duty at the main gate of the New Amsterdam Prison on the 9th December 2023, at about 7.30 am, saw a colleague identified to be Cameron enter the compound through the front gate with a green water bottle in her hands.
The Standard Operating Procedures specify that a search be conducted on “all prison officers entering the compound”. As such, the female officer searched her colleague but nothing was found. The officer then carried out a search of the water bottle that she was holding. Inside the water bottle was a transparent taped package containing leaves, seeds, and stems suspected to be cannabis.
The officer contacted her supervisor after which a further search was carried out, in her presence, on her motor car PZZ 1197. On the floor behind the driver’s seat, a black plastic bag containing two transparent parcels wrapped with tape was found. An examination was carried out on the parcels, and a quantity of leaves, seeds, and stems suspected to be cannabis was found.
The Police were summoned and the parcels of suspected marijuana were handed over which, when weighed, amounted to 289 grams. The water bottle was also handed over to the Police.
The accused was arrested and placed in custody after the discovery.
