Nsawam Police seize 399 parcels of cocaine

Page 24: June 2, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia & Nana Konadu Agyemang

THE Nsawan District Police last Friday intercepted a benz truck loaded with 399 parcels of cocaine.
A Ghanaian and two Togolese on board the vehicle were arrested and are currently assisting in investigations.
Kwame Anane, 34, the Ghanaian, Kofi Amewu, 30 and Kofi Deble, 35, both Togolese, were on board the truck with registration number GT 3359 Z, on which they had concealed the drug and covered it with a large quantity of cow-hyde (wele).
They were said to be transporting the drugs from the Republic of Guinea to Accra by road.
Soon after the seizure, a team from the Organised Crime Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters, led by its head, Chief Superintendent Vincent Dejoe and officers from the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) went to Nsawam to conduct an initial field test on the drug, which tested positive for cocaine.
The parcels were immediately carted to the CID Headquarters in Accra, where they have been kept under what the police described as “a secured environment”.
The Director of Police Public Affairs, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Kwesi Ofori, told the Daily Graphic that the Ghana Standards Board would be invited to conduct forensic examination on the drug.
He said the seizure was due to a police-public collaboration and appealed for continued public support for the police to fight all manner of crimes, including drug trafficking.
DSP Ofori said the police were determined to be at the forefront in the fight against the drug menace, since it had personnel all over the country for the job.
He also appealed to the media to discontinue what he termed the “attacks on the Police Service” and partner the police in dealing with crime.
DSP Ofori explained that the use of Ghana as a transit point for drugs was not because of the laxity in the country’s security but because Ghana was considered a low risk country.
He said the drug barons all over the world were fleeing the high risk countries to the low risk countries to bolster their trade.
He said the choice of Ghana was also because Ghana had a good international image.
DSP Ofori, therefore, appealed to all Ghanaians to support the security agencies in fighting the menace.