Two discharged on drug charges for want of prosecution

Accra, May 4, Ghanadot/GNA - The joy of two persons who were discharged for want of prosecution on a drug related offence was nearly dashed when the court asked that they should be recalled.

But their recall was to enable the trial judge, Mr Iddrisu Mahamadu, to caution them before they left the court premises.

"Take a cue from what is happening; go and walk on straight and narrow path. Don't go near any leaf," the trial judge said.

Cautioning Kofi Yeboah, 25 year old Rastafarian and Issaka Dramani, 30, the trial judge said: "You may be lucky today. You have spent some days in Nsawam Prisons, learn a lesson from that."

Soon after the caution, they thanked the judge and hurriedly descended from the court and took to their heels.

Yeboah, Dramani and two others were arrested in March 24, 2007 on charges of conspiracy and use of narcotic drugs.

The Regional Tribunal admitted them to bail in the sum of GH¢ 6,000 with two sureties and they were ordered to be reporting to the Police every Friday.

Yeboah and Dramani could not fulfil the bail condition hence they have been on remand till date.

When the case was mentioned, it came to light that the arresting officers did not give any statement in respect of the case.

The original investigator has since left the Ghana Police Service, the Police diary of action did not bear the name of the arresting officers and the facts were sketchy.

The court after discharging them ordered the Police officer who has taken over investigations to bring the nine parcels of dried leaves weighing 513 grammes to court for destruction.

The facts of the case are that on March 24, 2007, acting on a tip-off indicating that the accused persons were dealing drugs at Shiashie in Accra, a Police team led by ACP K Boateng went to the area where they found the accused smoking behind a drinking bar.

The drinking bar was searched and nine parcels of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp were found concealed in a bag.

The drugs were forwarded to the Police Crime Laboratory and the results indicated that they were cannabis with net weight of 513 grammes.

GNA