A prison warder was detained by the police yesterday, while two inmates were being investigated for allegedly smuggling ganja into the high-security St Catherine Adult Correctional Centre.

Major Richard Reese, the commissioner of corrections, said in a press statement last night that the warder, was observed acting in a highly “irregular manner” and when challenged ran and was allegedly observed throwing five packages over the wall of the B Block. The warder, Reese said, was held and searched and five additional packages with vegetable matter resembling ganja were allegedly found on his person.

The warder, a corporal, was reported to the Spanish Town police, who took him into custody.

In the other incident, inmates Devon McTaggart and Delroy Dennis were allegedly held with nine parcels of vegetable matter resembling ganja, each weighing approximately 11/2 lbs.

The matter was reported to the police, who were conducting investigations and were likely to lay charges against the two inmates.

Reese said that since January of this year a total of 15 people have been held for trafficking contraband in the island’s prisons in special internal security operations.

Earlier this month a prison warder was sentenced to a mandatory 12 months imprisonment at hard labour for possession and dealing in ganja.