Prison officer convicted for marijuana found in jail

Last Updated on Wednesday, 8 October 2014, 19:39 by GxMedia

A prison officer was Wednesday jailed after he was convicted for trafficking in marijuana at the Georgetown Prison.

Akeem Vyphuis was caught with 279 grammes of marijuana on July 14, 2014 at the Camp Street-based jail.

City Magistrate, Judy Latchman sentenced him to 56 months imprisonment after considering a number of factors. They included the amount of the narcotic, he is a correctional institution officer, no previous convictions, seriousness of the offence and the need to deter others from committing similar offences.

Vyphuis was caught with the drug after he was traced by a Cadet Officer who had seen him drop a package inside the prison.

Defence Lawyer, Pamela DeSantos has said that the narcotic was not found on the person of her client but in the Bachelor’s Quarter’s where Vyphuis lived.

She said that on arrival, her client had seen the package and was checking it when another officer arrived at the same time.