Cops foil jailbreak - Explosives, guns, radios outside Golden Grove

POLICE believe they have foiled an attempt to violently break high-risk prisoners from out of the Maximum Security Prison (MSP) section of the Golden Grove prisons in Arouca, following the discovery of weapons, wireless radios and C4 explosives complete with detonators.

The weapons and explosives were found and seized Wednesday night during the curfew hours.

Police said members of the Special Operations Response Team (SORT) led by Supt Roger Alexander, received a tip-off that weapons were hidden near the prison’s garden.

Police went there at around 11.40 pm and found an AR15 assault rifle, two pistols, a revolver and a quantity of C4 plastic explosives with four detonators. They also found two wireless radios.

According to wikipedia, the C4 explosive has a “velocity of detonation” (the rate at which an explosive changes to a gaseous form) of 26,400 feet per second – enough to obliterate concrete walls. The website said it is more powerful than trinitrotolyene (TNT) which has a velocity of 22,600 feet per second.

Police sources said this was the first time they can remember C4 being found outside a prison in the country.

Prisoners deemed low-risk are allowed to take part in the prison’s gardening programme, growing short term crops.

Senior police suspect the weapons were stashed in the garden for prisoners who are part of the gardening programme to smuggle into the prison compound.

The exercise was led by SORT with assistance from the National Security Special Operations Group.

“WE ARE CONCERNED”

Contacted for comment on Thursday, Commissioner of Prisons Shamshudeen Mohammed said the prison service will work to introduce more stringent security measures to restrict the flow of contraband.

Mohammed said the MSP houses some of the most dangerous men in the country who have the kind of influence and resources to gather such weapons, even from behind prison walls.

He said as of Thursday morning prison officials were assisting the police in their investigations. “We have seen the criminals are going to extreme measures now in a bid to allow the escape of their people.

“As a result of that, we have also stepped up our security around the prisons. We are also partnering with other external forces in order to provide added security

“We are just as concerned as the public about this latest development, but we want to assure that we are working very hard at our security measures to protect the nation from these hardcore criminals and gang members who choose to disrupt society.”

He said the MSP houses on average 1,700 prisoners consisting of both remanded and convicted prisoners.

Mohammed said the gardening programme will not be stopped. “As you know, gardening is one form of rehabilitation for the inmates.”

President of the Prison Officers Association (POA) Ceron Richards said the discovery was testament to the dangers prison officers face while on duty. He said it was reminiscent of the 2015 jailbreak in Port of Spain, which led to the deaths of prisoners Allan “Scanny” Martin, Hassan Atwell and policeman Sherman Maynard.

“TIMES ARE CHANGING”

Richards said the discovery of such high-calibre weapons demanded the authorities rethink their approach to securing prisons. He implored the government through the Ministry of National Security to take a more proactive approach in protecting officers on the job.

When Newsday reached out to National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds for a response on Thursday, he asked that questions be sent via WhatsApp. This was done but up to press time, the minister had not responded.

“We cannot bury our heads in the sand. TT has changed over time and what was impossible years ago is very possible today.

“No one would have believed what happened in 2015 could happen, yet it did happen. We must be proactive and deal with these security issues,” Richards said.

The last large-scale prison break was reported in May 2019 when eight men escaped from the remand facility of the Golden Grove prison in Arouca. They reportedly used a hacksaw blade to cut one of the bars of their cells and removed a brick.

Five were recaptured by police in St Helena hours after their escape. Another was captured the following day and the remaining two were held on May 25, of that year, in South Oropouche.

Then on October 3, 2019, five detainees at the Youth Training Centre (YTC) in Arouca escaped. They were Anthony Ramsumair, Shakeel Seepersad, Darren Scott, Dillano Marcano and Jaden Fletcher.

Fletcher was recaptured in November that year in an abandoned house in Mayaro. Murder accused Ramsumair was arrested at Golconda Settlement, Golconda in January 2020. Marcano was recaptured in February at an abandoned house in Diego Martin.