3 Policemen Charged With Missing Cocaine

By William Yaw Owusu

Wednesday, September 13,2006
THREE policemen were yesterday arraigned before an Accra Circuit Court for their alleged involvement in the disappearance of 77 parcels of cocaine from MV Benjamin, a vessel, at the Tema Port.

The mystery surrounding the disappearance of the cocaine consignment from the vessel has for months now, been the subject of public interest and has necessitated the setting up of the Justice Georgina Wood Committee by the Minister of the Interior.

The three are Detective Sergeant Samuel Yaw Amoah, General Sergeant David Nyarko and Detective Lance Corporal Dwamena Yabson all with the Tema Regional Command.

They were said to have intercepted the consignment at the Kpone Beach near Tema but allowed one Sheriff, now at large, who was with the narcotic drugs to cart it away after allegedly collecting about 100,000 dollars.

The policemen, who have been in police custody for the past two weeks, were charged yesterday with abetment of crime.

The court, presided over by Mr Justice Frank Manu, who is also the Greater Accra Regional Tribunal Chairman, remanded them until September 25.

When the case was called at about 11.38 am yesterday, Mr Cab Beyou, a Chief State Attorney, prosecuting, told the packed court, “this is for purposes of remand because the police are still investigating.”

Reacting, Mr Musah Ahmed, counsel for Amoah and Nyarko said: “We are surprised that my clients’ plea were not taken but the police is asking for a remand.”

He argued that the police failed to produce the principal offender, Sheriff, who was alleged to have abetted the accused saying, “the offence for which they are being tried before this court does not exist.”

“The police are asking the court to confirm an illegality after they have detained the accused for two weeks for an offence which is bailable,” he added.

Counsel further told the court that Sgt. Amoah had been sent to the Justice Georgina Wood Committee investigating the missing cocaine on two occasions, adding “even on Monday, we were there.”

For his part, Mr Yaw Awuku Asabre, who represented Yabson, said: “The security agencies are confused. They are roping people into this 77 parcels of missing cocaine but are not leading any evidence against them.”

Remanding the accused persons, the judge said: “They have just been brought to court and it is too early for this argument from counsel. Allow the police to continue with their investigations into the matter.”

The judge, instead of ordering whether or not Yabson should be taken to the hospital for treatment after his counsel had told the court that the client was indisposed, advised the investigator to “take good care of him.”

The facts of the case are that sometime in April, the policemen stationed at Tema New Town and Community One respectively were tipped by some residents of Kpone that somebody had landed a boat loaded with items suspected to be cocaine at the beach.

The three policemen allegedly went to the scene and instead of arresting the owner of the alleged drugs named Sheriff, purportedly collected 100,000 dollars from him and allowed the stuff to be carted away.