A 58-year-old grandmother of New Amsterdam, Berbice, was on Friday jailed for attempting to traffic a prohibited substance into the New Amsterdam Prison.
Ramraji Deonarine, a security guard of Lot 257 Mayor and Town Council Scheme, New Amsterdam, pleaded guilty to a charge, which stated that on January 12, she interdicted narcotics into the prison. Deonarine had six grams of cannabis concealed in a bar of soap which she was taking to a convicted prisoner, Anthony Persaud.
Police Prosecutor, Inspector Orin Joseph told the court that on Thursday, Deonarine requested to visit the convicted prisoner and at the time had a bag containing several items she was taking for him. The prosecutor explained that Prison Officer Jennifer James, during an inspection of the items, discovered that a part of the soap was dug out and the drug inserted and then covered with a piece of soap from the same bar.
According to Deonarine, she met Persaud while working as a guard at St Theresa Primary School one year ago, but he was jailed for three years. According to her, over the past year, she had been visiting Persaud in prison.
She said that on the day in question, someone met her at the prison door and asked her to take the bag to him. She said she was unaware of what was in the bag.
Magistrate Marissa Mettelholzer imposed a three-year jail sentence and fined her $15,000.
