A joint operation at the Port-of-Spain Prison on Sunday led to the seizure of several contraband items including cellphones, cigarettes and improvised weapons.
According to a statement issued to the media, the exercise code named, Operation Clean Sweep, targetted the prsion which was the scene of the deadly July 24, 2015 daylight breakout of three remand prisoners.
It also followed information that more guns and explosives were hidden in the prison. The aim of the operation, according to the statement, was to find such items if they existed and ensure that there was none.
The exercise also allowed security forces to measure their response time in the event of an emergency and was able to evacuate the entire prison in 52 minutes. The prison was also sanitised during the operation.
Officers from the Defence Force, Organised Crime, Narcotics and Firearms Bureau, Inter-Agency Task Force, Traffic Branch, Fire Service, Security Services Agency, National Operations Centre and Crime and Gang Intelligence Unit were involved in the operation. It began at 8.55 am and ended at 4 pm. There were no reported resistance or hostilities during the operation, the statement said.
On July 24, last year remand prisoners Allan "Scanny" Martin, Hassan Atwell and Christopher "Monster" Selby armed with guns and grenades shot their way out of the Frederick Street jail, killing sentry police officer Sherman Maynard stationed outside.
Martin, facing trial for the kidnapping and murder of Xtra Foods CEO Vindra Naipaul-Coolman, was cornered and killed at the guard booth of the Port-of-Spain General Hospital by police. Atwell was found dead the following day in East Dry River, shot to death by unknown assailants and Selby surrendered after 48 hours on the run.
The statement issued earlier today stated that 25 cellphones, eight SIM cards, 14 cellphone batteries, 15 ear pieces, 39 cellphone chargers, 138 cigarettes, three ligthers, 13 razors, six improvised weapons, three shavers, two memory cards, a smoking device and $10 were seized.
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Prison raid nets contraband
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