Woman, three others remanded • Over importation of cocaine

Wednesday, October 27, 2010 (Page 3 Lead)

A Pregnant woman and three others were yesterday remanded by the Accra Fast Track High Court for allegedly importing 125 slabs of cocaine with a street value of GH¢10 million.
Kyerewaa Twum-Barimah, who is seven-month pregnant, was remanded together with Benjamin Armstrong, Anthony Wilson and Edward Kojo Arhin, to reappear on November 9, 2010.
Kyerewaa was visibly shaking and sobbed intermittently while she stood in the dock with the other accused persons.
The four, who are officials of Pharma+ Limited, have been charged with two counts of conspiracy and importation of narcotic drugs without lawful authority.
Their pleas were not taken.
Kyerewaa, who was on police enquiry bail, had her bail revoked by the court following a request to that effect from the prosecution.
A Chief State Attorney, Mr George Ofori, told the court that the police were investigating the matter and the prosecution , therefore, needed an adjournment.
He also prayed the court to refuse a request for bail from counsel for the accused persons on the grounds that the accused persons might interfere in investigations when granted bail.
Counsel for the accused persons, Mr Joe Aboagye Debrah, said what was happening was “every importer’s nightmare”.
According to him, his clients ordered for derivatives for petroleum products and were not responsible for the packaging of the products from its source to its destination.
He said his clients had no control over the goods until it arrived at the ports and therefore, questioned why the police and narcotic officials did not arrest the shipping line that shipped the products.
Mr Debrah said his clients were victims of circumstances and further explained that this was the first time they were importing the derivatives, which were unfortunately tampered with.
He pleaded for bail for Kyerewaa but the court declined and accordingly remanded all the accused persons in custody.
The brief facts of the case are that a joint police, national security and Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) team intercepted the 125 slabs of cocaine which had been packaged in the shape of DVDs.
The drugs were said to have been concealed in a container on an American vessel that berthed at the port on October 9, 2010 and an examination of the container by security officials on October 19, 2010 led to the discovery of the narcotic drugs.
The clearing agents of the accused persons and a truck driver who had been contracted to convey the container holding the narcotic drugs from the port were picked up for questioning.
Their interrogation led to the subsequent arrest of the four accused persons.