Two cops, Nigerian remanded for dealing in cannabis

Source: Daily Graphic Online  -  Two policemen and a businessman were yesterday remanded in prison custody by the Accra Circuit Court for allegedly possessing 1,056 compressed slabs of cannabis. They are Sergeant Prosper Ametepe, Corporal Frazer Dafeamekpor and Uchenna Ubenezim....

They pleaded not guilty to the charges of possessing narcotic drugs without lawful authority, but the court, presided over by Mr Francis Obiri, remanded them to reappear on February 2, 2015.

Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Joyce Ama Kuwornu told the court that the complainants were policemen from the Regional Patrol Unit in Ho in the Volta Region.

She said Sergeant Ametepe was a serving policeman stationed at the Keta Divisional Unit of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, while Cpl Dafeamekpor was a service driver stationed at the Regional Police Training School, Ho.

Ubenezim is a Nigerian businessman at Alaba, Nigeria, but on a business trip to Ghana.

About 11.30 p.m. on January 9, 2015, the complainants, on their usual highway patrol duty around the Kpeve Market area, spotted a police Navara pick-up vehicle, with registration number GP 3741, emerging from the Kpeve-Tornu road onto the main Accra-Hohoe road fully loaded with sacks of unidentified substances covered with tarpaulin.

Based on suspicion, the complainants signalled the driver to stop for inspection of the content of the pick-up, but he defied the order and sped off towards Ho.

The complainants went after the suspects and also alerted other patrol teams in the Ho municipality.

In the process, the pick-up was intercepted at the Sokode-Lokoe Police barrier, near Ho, with the three accused persons on board.

A search conducted on the pick-up revealed 18 fertiliser sacks containing 1,056 compressed slabs of plant material suspected to be cannabis.

They were escorted to the Volta Regional Police Headquarters in Ho.

On interrogation, and in their respective caution statements, the two policemen admitted that they had been contracted by Ubenezim to convey the sacks to Aflao for a fee of GH¢1,600.

Ubenezim corroborated the assertion of the two policemen and claimed ownership of the eight sacks containing 456 compressed slabs.

The prosecutor told the court that the policemen failed to disclose the owner of the 10 sacks which contained 600 compressed slabs of cannabis.