7 Drug couriers arrested

Page 48: May 14, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
SEVEN suspected drug couriers were at the weekend arrested at the Kotoka International Airport when they attempted to smuggle various quantities of drugs to some European destinations.
They were arrested while going through pre-departure formalities.
The suspects are George Weah Karperh, 42; Jonathan Boroabre Mensah, 40; Francis Kwadwo Yeboah Damoah, 44; Bismark Kweku Kyei, 24; Chester Appau, 31; Maxwell Dartey, 47, and Vincent Koffi Sarabi, 47.
Briefing the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday, the Public Relations Officer of the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB), Mr Francis Opoku Amoah, said Karperh, a Ghanaian with Dutch citizenship, expelled 100 pellets of a whitish substance suspected to be cocaine when he was arrested.
He said the suspect, who came to Ghana on May 7 and was arrested on May 9, 2008, said a friend, whom he did not name, introduced him to the business.
Mr Amoah said the suspect said he was to be paid €3,000 upon delivery of the drugs to the friend in Amsterdam.
According to him, Karperh, who said he was a professional teacher in Holland, wanted to raise funds to set up a school in Ghana hence his decision to act as a courier.
Mr Amoah said Mensah, who holds a Spanish passport, claimed a friend he met on Takoradi gave him the drugs to deliver to someone in Spain for a fee of €4,000.
He said the suspect alleged that the friend had threatened to harm members of his (suspect) family if he had refused to take the drugs.
He said the suspect expelled 99 pellets after his arrest.
With regard to Damoah, the PRO said the suspect, who is resident in Italy, expelled 61 pellets of the drugs after he was put in an observatory.
Mr Amoah said the suspect claimed a Nigerian friend of his introduced him to the business and had assured him of a profitable enterprise.
He said Damoah said the Nigerian gave him €2,000 advance payment with the pledge of an additional €2,500 if he (suspect) had successfully delivered the drugs to him in Italy.
In respect of Kweku Kyei, he said, the suspect had swallowed 65 pellets and had since expelled all after his arrest.
Mr Amoah said the suspect said he was indebted to someone in Spain to the tune of €2,000 and had been promised an additional €2,000 if he agreed to carry the drugs.
The PRO said Appau, a resident of Italy, had swallowed 84 pellets and had so far expelled 82 remaining with two.
He said the suspect claimed that the cost of living in Italy had become very expensive.
He said someone, whom he did not mention, recruited him for a fee of €3,000.
With regard to Dartey, Mr Amoah said he tested positive when a field test was conducted on him at the airport.
He said when he was subsequently taken to the head office of NACOB, the suspect expelled all the 60 pellets he had swallowed.
He said Sarabi, a German of Togolese parentage, swallowed 32 pellets and inserted eight others into his anus.
He said the suspect claimed that while on a visit to Ghana, someone offered to give him the drugs to carry to Germany for a fee of €2,500 which he agreed to.
Mr Amoah said all the suspects had been remanded in police custody while investigations continued.
He said most of the suspects upon interrogation also indicated that they had paid money to some officials at the airport with the assurance that they would not be arrested.
Mr Amoah said the suspects claimed that while going through departure formalities, some of the officials were calling them on their cellphones to update them on security movements and which queue they should join.
He said NACOB had not been able to establish the truth or otherwise of the allegations.
Mr Amoah warned that anyone caught in such an act would not be spared.
He said what had also come to the fore was the fact that the drug dealers were now recruiting Ghanaians resident outside the country who did not have much difficulty with visas and other travel arrangements.
Mr Amoah said the barons were exploiting the difficulties some of the foreign-based Ghanaians were going through to use them.