Prison officer jailed for marijuana in soap, toothpaste boxes at prison

Last Updated on Thursday, 16 January 2025, 21:12 by Writer

A Guyana Prison Service officer on Wednesday pleaded guilty to trafficking 804 grammes of marijuana which he attempted to smuggle into the Mazaruni Prison in soap and toothpaste boxes, police said.

Joel Johnson, 21, of Lot 1, Section ‘C’ Clonbrook, East Coast Demerara, was sentenced by Bartica Magistrate Teriq Mohammed to three years imprisonment and fined GY$30,000 for being in possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.

He was arrested on Tuesday after a mandatory security check on his arrival for duty at the Mazaruni Prison on January 14.

Police said that at about 18:30 hrs on January 14, a prison officer was on duty at the Mazaruni Checkpoint/Scanning Area when his fellow Prison Officer Johnson returned to the location after being granted four days of time off.

“Upon his return, he was subjected to a mandatory search, during which he presented a green haversack to the Prison Officer for inspection. Inside the haversack, eight Irish Spring soap boxes and two Colgate toothpaste boxes were discovered, containing leaves, seeds, and stems suspected to be Cannabis, all wrapped in transparent plastic,” police said in a statement.