BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – TWO inmates of Her Majesty’s Prison (HMP) are facing charges for taking contraband into the correctional facility for the purpose of trafficking.
Information reaching SKNVibes states that the convicts, Travis Clarke and Seleam Chiverton, were sometime on Thursday (Apr. 21) caught in possession of a number of contraband items.
It was learnt that they were charged with possession of cannabis sativa with intent to supply, conveying tobacco into Her Majesty’s Prison, and conveying other prohibited articles including a number of cell phones, portable chargers and lighters.
When contacted this afternoon (Apr. 24), Superintendent of Prisons Junie ‘Scrape’ Hodge confirmed the occurrence and informed that the two men were part of a work group that had left the facility on the day in question to complete a given task.
Hodge said on completion of their tasks, the men, on returning to the facility, were searched at the entrance and the items were found on their person.
Asked if any security device was used in detecting the items, Hodge said, “We have scanners to check on persons when entering the prison, but this discovery was made by vigilant officers at the entrance.”
This is not the first time that inmates were found with contraband on their return to prison.
In June 2012, two inmates, Devon Wattley and Michael Boatswain, were charged with possession of cannabis sativa.
Wattley, who was at the time serving a 15-year sentence for robbery and assault and was returning to prison after being discharged as a patient from the Joseph N France General Hospital, was searched by members of the Anti-Narcotics Unit who found a quantity of cannabis sativa hidden within two sticks of Right Guard Roll-On Anti-Perspirant on his person.
The said officers had conducted a search of Boatswain and found a quantity of cannabis sativa hidden in his back pocket.
Searches were also conducted in the past within the over-crowded penitentiary.
On August 25, 2011, a search operation, jointly conducted by members of the Special Services Unit and the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force, resulted in the find of a Laptop, a quantity of controlled drugs, improvised weapons and a number of cell phones including BlackBerries.
And earlier this year (February), over 200 contraband items were found within the walls of HMP following a 21-day lockdown of the facility.
Reportedly, the authorities conducted a search which revealed 125 cell phones, 160 lighters, over eight pounds of marijuana and a quantity of alcohol among the items found.
Most of the items were ingeniously stashed within the concrete walls, decks of playing cards and wooden receptacles.
Since then, and under the management of Hodge, the authorities have up the ante in security at the prison and a numver of CCTVs have been erected atop the perimeter walls.
