Georgetown: The Lusignan Prison fire was as a result of the seizures of marijuana, cell phones and alcohol in addition to the beating of inmates by four prison officers on Sunday, Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels confirmed.
Samuels explained that at about 11:55h he was informed by Officer in Charge at the Prison, Senior Superintendent Alexander Hopkinson that there was a discovery of parcel with the drugs.
“Yesterday it was clearly overheard that the prisoners said there was a drought in the prison as it relates to the availability of contraband, so I think that situation would have further propelled for the desire for them to get their stuff,” Samuels told reporters at the Ministry of Public Security’s Brickdam Office.
The Prison Director explained that within the last two weeks there were three cases of illegal items being confiscated at the prison and one person was also arrested for attempting to smuggle marijuana into the prison.
Subsequent to the discovery of the illegal items Sunday, there was an altercation between a prisoner who works in the kitchen and another inmate.
The prisoner was then escorted to the prison yard where he was further assaulted by the other officers after he threatened to kill them. The four officers have since been removed from the prison.
“These matters are still being investigated, so what I am saying is not definitive,” Samuels stated.
With the seizure of the illegal items and the assault to the prisoner, the inmates began to break the wooden walls of the prison and subsequently set fire to the building, demanding that the drugs be returned.
“The items were not returned and in light of the two circumstances at the time it resulted to fire being set to the building,” the Prison Director explained.
The old wooden building was quickly engulfed in flames and burnt flat to the ground. The Prison’s kitchen and a section of the Administration building were also destroyed. Quick action by the Joint Services prevented any escapes and no one was seriously injured.
However, Samuels said a number of prisoners were armed with knives, forks and cutlasses from the kitchen; all of the weapons were successfully confiscated.
Following the fire, ranks of the Guyana Defence Force were deployed to assist members of the Police Force, Fire and Prison Services secure the facility.
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