BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – POLICE have confirmed that Shajuan Walters of Lodge Village and Ashaki Rogers of Shadwell Estate have been charged in connection with an alleged attempt to smuggle contraband into His Majesty’s Prison (HMP) in Basseterre.
According to the police, Walters faces two charges under warrants in the first instance, while Rogers has been charged with one offence. Both individuals allegedly committed the offences on October 20, 2024, and were formally charged on October 23. Walters was processed at the Basseterre Police Station, while Rogers was charged at the Stapleton Police Station.
The police have not disclosed the nature of the items the two men attempted to smuggle into the prison.
In recent years, prison officials have increased screening measures to curb the flow of illegal items into the facility. Despite these efforts, a significant quantity of contraband has been discovered within HMP.
In a raid conducted in July, officers from the prison service, the Defence Force, and the police seized several illegal items, including five cell phones, nineteen chargers, three charger heads, one extension cord, eleven cigarette lighters, one razor, a Gameboy, an iron file, scissors, multiple screwdrivers, several makeshift weapons (shanks), cannabis, tobacco, and seven bottles of homemade wine.
The persistent presence of illegal items in HMP raises ongoing concerns about how these objects are being smuggled into the facility.
In 2016, authorities uncovered 125 mobile phones, 160 lighters, over eight pounds of marijuana, and other contraband during a series of inspections, highlighting the scale of the problem.
