Man held for possessing cocaine

Page 34: February 29, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
A 29-YEAR-OLD national service person has been arrested for attempting to smuggle 27 pellets of white substances suspected to be cocaine to Holland.
Christopher Boakye Amponsah, who is doing his national service with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) at Nsawam, was arrested at the Kotoka International Airport on February 24, 2008 while going through departure formalities.
A source at the Bureau of National of Investigations (BNI), whose personnel effected the arrest, told the Daily Graphic on Wednesday that the suspect’s Mercedes C-Class Benz, with registration number GR 1954 X, has been impounded while investigations continue into his other acquired properties.
It said the suspect initially denied possessing any contraband goods but was taken to the BNI head office for observation.
It said the suspect was later taken to a hospital where he was examined and it was detected that he had swallowed foreign materials.
The source said when the suspect was taken back to the BNI head office, he discharged 24 pellets in a stool he passed.
It said he later expelled three more pellets in another round of stool discharge.
According to the source, it was at the point that the suspect admitted swallowing 27 pellets of the substance, which he claimed was given to him by someone identified only as Max.
It said the suspect claimed that Max had promised to give him 1,500 euros on delivery of the pellets in Amsterdam, Holland and alleged that Max had taken the lead to Holland to wait for him.
The source said a look at the suspect’s passport showed that he had travelled widely on the West African coast, South Africa and Europe particularly to the United Kingdom, Holland and Germany.
It said it could be deduced that the suspect was a courier considering the number of travels he had made and the property he had acquired.
It said as someone who had just completed his university education and was doing his national service, one wondered where he got his money to make such travels and acquire the Benz, a van and other properties still being investigated.
Moreover, it said, the suspect indicated that his parents were both deceased and he lived by himself.