Six plead innocent in Tema Port cocaine case
Accra, June 5, Ghanadot/GNA
- Six persons who were allegedly picked up in connection
with the 61 parcels of cocaine seized at Tema Port from a
40-footer container on Thursday have pleaded not guilty to
narcotic related charges levelled against them.
Augustina Abu, the importer, Yaw Attah Nkansah, clearing
agent, Alfred Amedzi, Managing Director for Sedco Agency,
Kennedy Osei and Simon Bede, both directors of Sedco Agency,
and Francis Addo, a driver, are being held for importing
narcotic drugs suspected to be cocaine into country and
engaging in criminal conspiracy.
The six were earlier put before Mrs Justice Irismay Brown, a
Court of Appeal Judge, who admitted them to bail.
However, they have now been arraigned before Mr Justice S.
Honoeyegah, also a Court of Appeal judge, who has remanded
them into Police custody after their charges and facts were
read out to them.
Mr Asiamah Sampong, a Senior State Attorney, prayed the
court to remand them to enable them to complete their
investigations.
This did not go down well with the counsel who in turn put
in their bail applications.
Mr Addo Atuah, who represented Ms Abu, prayed the court to
admit his client to bail as the prosecution had not been
able to show the court that she would interfere with
investigations.
According to Mr Atuah, his client had a fixed place of
abode, adding they were prepared to provide substantial
sureties.
“There is no legal justification for the continued detention
of the accused persons,” he said.
Mr Amofa Anaman, who represented Nkansah, Osei and Bede,
noted that the facts read out did not show his clients’
involvement, adding, they voluntarily reported to the
security personnel when the incident occurred.
“How can someone who voluntarily handed himself over to
security personnel abscond?” he asked.
Mr Addai, who represented Amedzi, told the court that his
client was in court because he was a director of the Sedco
Agency, the company that facilitated the clearing of the
container.
According to him, his client did not know the content of the
container.
In the case of Addo, his counsel, Mr C.K. Hoye, intimated
that his client was an innocent commercial driver who was
carting the container from the Port, adding that, he had not
even been paid for his services.
The court after listening to both defence and prosecution
adjourned the matter to June 8 to deliver its ruling on the
bail application.
The facts of the case are that on May 15, M/V Maersk
Nolanville docked at Tema Port with containers from Ecuador,
Panama and Spain.
The Prosecution said among the containers was one with
number MSAU0118160 manifested to contain 1,880 cartons of
chewing gum, imported by Ms Abu of Augustina Abu Enterprise.
The prosecutor said personnel of the Joint Port Control Unit
(JPCU) made up officers with Narcotics Control Board;
Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS); Bureau of
National Investigations (BNI); Ghana Ports and Harbours
Authority (GPHA) and the Police tagged the said container
which meant that the container could only be opened by JPCU
officers.
On May 19, at about 1530 hours, the container was scanned
and the image disclosed that the container had other some
objects.
During a through examination two bags containing a total of
61 slabs of whitish substances suspected to be cocaine were
found among the cartons of the chewing gum.
A filed test of the substance indicated that it was cocaine.
All accused persons were rounded up when it was being carted
to Ms Abu and the drug forwarded to the Ghana Standard Board
for analytical examination.
GNA
