GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) – A large quantity of contraband items was seized by security officials as they conducted “Operation Safe Guard” at the Georgetown and New Amsterdam prisons on Saturday.

The police report that during a search of the Georgetown prison they found 21 improvised weapons and knives, 20 razor blades, 558 grams of marijuana, 22 cellular phones, and five gallons of homemade wine, along with several other banned items.

A lesser number of items were found at the New Amsterdam prison.

The security officials expressed concern that the Georgetown Prison was last searched on September 23 and this means that the contraband item haul accumulated in just under two months.

Following this latest haul, the Government has pledged to work closely with the Guyana Prison Service and the Joint Services to address ongoing security weaknesses at the correctional facilities and says security activities in targeted areas will be boosted to ensure the security of residents and visitors.

The Government has also urged citizens to cooperate with the security forces.