Tagor others took the coke-Investigator suspects

By William Yaw owusu

Thursday April 5, 2007
Detective Charles Adaba, the investigator in the case in which 76 parcels of cocaine got missing from the MV Benjamin vessel, says he strongly suspects that Kwabena Amaning, alias Tagor and Alhaji Issah Abass took possession of the missing narcotic substances.

The inspector who is the Seventh Prosecution witness, also told the court that there were rumours that Assistant Commissioner of Police, (ASP) Kofi Boakye and his men went to the MV Benjamin vessel at the Tema Port to take the cocaine.

Inspector Adaba was concluding his evidence-in-chief in the case involving Kwabena Amaning, also know as Tagor and Alhaji Issah Abass in the missing of parcels from the Tema Port in April, last year.

Tagor is facing four counts of conspiracy, engaging in prohibited business related to narcotic drugs, buying of narcotic drugs and supply of narcotic drugs while Abass is charged with three counts of conspiracy, engaging in prohibited business, related
to narcotic drugs and supply of narcotic drugs.

The two have pleaded not guilty to all the charges and are in prison custody.

Tagor and Abass were among the 14 people recommended for prosecution by the Justice Georgina Wood Committee set up by the Ministry of the Interior to investigate the missing 76 parcels of cocaine and another quantity of cocaine seized from a house in East Legon in Accra in November 2005.

Before the committee commenced sitting, a meeting had been held at the residence of ACP Boakye with four people, including Tagoe and Abass and that formed the basis for the establishment of the committee by the Ministry.

Led in evidence by William Kpobi, Principal State Attorney prosecuting the case, Inspector Adaba told the court that the reasons for ACP Boakye meeting Tagor and Abass and two others was to find out which of them had gone into the vessel at the Tema Port to steal the cocaine.

He told the court that at the meeting, there were accusations and counter accusations as to who had stolen the cocaine believed to have imported into the country by Asem Darke also known as Sheriff or Limping man, now at large.

“At the end of the meeting, they all conspired to track down the person who had gone into the M.V. Benjamin to steal the cocaine since according to them 76 parcels were too much for one person to enjoy alone.”


He told the court that he took a charge statement from Alhaji Abass but Tagor, on two occasions refused to give his statement.

Later in the proceedings, the tape on the secret recordings of the voices of Tagor and Abass as well as those present at the meeting to help the experts compare the voices on the original tape was played in the open court despite the prosecution’s request that it should played in camera.

The court explained that it was playing the tape, which had better sound quality than the original secret recording at ACP Boakye’s house, to ascertain whether indeed the voices were theirs.

The court, presided over by Justice Jones Dotse of the Court of Appeal, said it was not interested in the contents of the secret recording.

The case was adjourned until April 18.