Prison officer jailed three years for ganja at Mazaruni Prison
Jan 16, 2025
Kaieteur News- A 21-year-old prison officer was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to a narcotics possession charge at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
Prison officer sentenced to three years imprisonment: Joel Johnson
Joel Johnson, a resident of Lot 1, Section ‘C’ Clonbrook, East Coast Demerara, was found in possession of 804 grams of cannabis on January 14, 2025, at the Mazaruni Prison Checkpoint/Scanning Area. He was arrested on the same day and later charged with Possession of Narcotics for the Purpose of Trafficking, contrary to Section 5(1)(a)(i) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control Act, Chapter 10:10.
Cannabis found in toothpaste boxes and soap boxes amounted to 804 grams
Appearing before Magistrate Teriq Mohamed, Johnson pleaded guilty to the charge. He was subsequently sentenced to three years in prison and fined $30,000.
According to police reports, on January 14 at approximately 18:30 hrs, a prison officer was on duty at the Mazaruni Checkpoint/Scanning Area when Johnson returned from a four-day leave. Upon his return, he was subjected to a mandatory search. During the inspection, Johnson presented a green haversack for examination. Upon searching the haversack, eight soap boxes and two Colgate toothpaste boxes were found, containing leaves, seeds, and stems suspected to be cannabis, all wrapped in transparent plastic.
The other prison officer on duty identified the suspected cannabis and promptly arrested Johnson. The matter was reported to the police, and officers responded to the scene. The suspected narcotics were handed over to Corporal Yearwood, along with Johnson, who was escorted to the Bartica Police Station. At the station, the narcotics were weighed, totalling 804 grams.
(Prison officer jailed three years for ganja at Mazaruni Prison)
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