A female prison officer with more than 19 years of service has been arrested after she was allegedly found with prohibited items at the Golden Grove Prison in Arouca.

The arrest was made at about 8:48 am on Monday during a routine security check, according to the Trinidad and Tobago Prison Service.

The officer was reportedly found in possession of a quantity of prohibited articles.

Police were immediately contacted and officers from the Office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) escorted her to the Arouca Police Station, where she was assisting with enquiries.

She is expected to be formally charged.

Acting Commissioner of Prisons Elvin Scanterbury said the case was particularly concerning because it was the first recorded instance of a female prison officer being found involved in trafficking contraband within the service.

He nevertheless stressed that no prison officer, regardless of rank or gender, is above the law.

The arrest came as prison authorities also reported the interception of another shipment of suspected contraband at the Port of Spain Prison.

On Sunday morning, officers received information that items had been thrown over the prison’s perimeter wall along Gordon Street into the Remand Airing Yard.

A search of the area led to the recovery of a package containing 30 packs of cigarettes, a cellular phone, a wireless headset, a charging cable and plant-like material resembling marijuana.

The cigarettes included 10 packs of L&M and 20 packs of Du Maurier.

The Prison Service said the incidents highlight ongoing attempts to get prohibited items into correctional facilities and that security measures remain heightened.

Authorities have warned members of the public that bringing, throwing, conveying or otherwise introducing prohibited articles into a prison, or causing them to be supplied to prisoners, is a serious offence.

Investigations into the Port of Spain Prison incident are continuing.

The Prison Service said it maintains a zero-tolerance approach to illicit trafficking and other illegal activity within its institutions.