Weapons, cannabis & phones found during early-morning raid at New Amsterdam Prison

A joint security operation at the New Amsterdam Prison on Monday morning led to the discovery of several prohibited items, including improvised weapons, cannabis, and mobile phones.

The ‘Prison Search Operation’, conducted between 06:00 and 08:10 hrs, was a coordinated effort between the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Prison Service. It was led by Assistant Superintendent K. Gravesandie, Officer in Charge of No. 1 Sub-Division, along with 38 police ranks. They were joined by Assistant Superintendent Crawford, Officer in Charge of the New Amsterdam Prison, and 17 prison officers.

During the search, the team uncovered:

• Seven improvised weapons

• Seventeen packs of cigarettes

• Seven cellular phones

• Forty-three zip-lock bags containing leaves, seeds, and stems suspected to be cannabis

• Twenty-one lighters

The suspected cannabis was later taken to the Central Police Station, where it was weighed and amounted to 37 grams. It was subsequently sealed and lodged as evidence.

Authorities confirmed that the operation was incident-free and forms part of ongoing efforts to curb the entry and circulation of contraband within the country’s prison system.