Charged with trafficking ganja:

A 31-YEAR-OLD prison officer was arrested yesterday morning outside the Port-of-Spain State Prison, allegedly carrying a quantity of marijuana and other items into the facility.

Hours later, Terrell Logan, of Quarry Road, Mount Diablo, appeared before a Justice of the Peace in full uniform to answer the charge of trafficking marijuana. When Logan appeared in court at 3 pm, the late court Magistrate Krishendeo Narinesingh had already left the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court for the day.

Logan will appear before Magistrate Lianne Lee Kim in the Port-of-Spain Fourth Court this morning to answer the charge.

At about 10.25 am yesterday, members of the Organised Crime, Narcotics and Firearms Bureau, were on investigations outside the Port-of-Spain Prison when they stopped Logan, who was about to enter the prison.

Logan, a father of three, has been a prison officer for the past six years. He was attached to the remand yard of the city prison. It was alleged that the policemen identified themselves and searched the prison officer.

During the search, the police claimed they found 680 grammes of marijuana, two cigarette lighters, a cell phone, 13 cigarettes, and three Bamboo wrapping paper packets.

Logan was taken to the Narcotics Bureau and questioned. He was later charged with trafficking marijuana. At 3 pm, Logan was taken to the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court by three plainclothes police officers.

Minutes later, he appeared before a Justice of the Peace who read the charge to him. Logan was not called on to plead and he was remanded in custody (at the Port-of-Spain State Prison) to re-appear in court this morning.

Logan was the third prison officer to be arrested in recent times for allegedly trafficking marijuana outside the prison. Two were held outside the city prison, and the other at the Maximum Security Prison at Arouca. Following the seizure of a large quantity of marijuana at the various prisons, the Narcotics Bureau, under Senior Supt Raymond Craig and Supt Allan Crooks, has been heading investigations.

According to reports, the narcotic officers have been carrying out surveillance outside the prisons in Port-of-Spain and Arouca.

They have been watching the suspicious movements of prison officers and certain individuals who have been going into the prisons with bags.

Commissioner of Prisons John Rougier has been cooperating with the police in cracking down on delinquent prisons officers and random searches have been taking place.

Reports reaching Newsday revealed that a thriving drug and cell phone trade has been taking place under the noses of prison officers.

Prisoners, according to reports, have been able to make cell phone calls within the walls of the prisons.