MV Benjamin Vessel

By William Yaw Owusu

Tuesday May 30, 2007
The prosecution in the case of six persons, charged with the importation of 77 parcels of cocaine on board the MV Benjamin vessel, will on Friday, tender the only parcel found on board the vessel in evidence.

The exhibit, which contains 25 slabs of cocaine, each weighing one killogramme, could not be tendered in evidence through the investigator because all the parties who were to bring the cocaine to court were not present.

As a result, Mr. William Kpobi, a Principal State Attorney, prosecuting the case in the course of the evidence-in-chief investigator, Detective Inspector Charles Adaba, requested for an adjournment to enable the prosecution to bring the cocaine to court for it to be tendered. Justice Annin Yeboah of the Court of Appeal granted the request.

The 77 parcels of cocaine were brought to the Tema Port by the vessel on April 26, last year, but 76 parcel, were allegedly carted away and offloaded at the Kpone beach by Sheriff, Asem, Darke, who is on the run, and a Korean called Killer on the dawn of April 27, last year, before the security agencies got into the vessel.

The vessel owner, Joseph Kojo Dawson, is being tried together with Pak Bok Sil, an engineer from Korea, Isaac Arhin, 49, Phillip Bruce Arhin, 49, a mechanic , Cui Xian Li, 49, engineer, and Luo Yui Xing, 49, all Chinese, for their various roles in the importation.

Dawson has pleaded not guilty to using his property for narcotic offences, while Bok Sil also pleaded not guilty to one count of engaging in prohibited business relating to narcotic drugs.

Isaac Arhin, Bruce Arhin, Li and Xing have all pleaded not guilty to two counts of engaging in prohibited business relating to narcotic drugs and possessing narcotic drugs without lawful authority.


In his evidence, Insp. Adaba told the court that Dawson had said in his statement that Sheriff chartered the vessel for 150,000 dollars on February 6, 2006 and further claimed in the statement that because Dashment Company Limited had signed a high purchase agreement with a Korean called Bae, he insisted that the vessel could not be moved without his consent.

The witness said in the agreement, Sheriff chartered the vessel to do fishing business on the high seas in Guinea, and added that “Dawson was aware of the voyage which brought the cocaine by this agreement”.

In Bok Sil’s statement, the investigator who is the 13th prosecution witness, told the court that the second accused person had admitted that he knew Killer, and added that it was killer and Bae, believed to be residing in Las Palmas, Spain, who contracted him to repair the vessel.

“Bok Sil knew the purpose for which the vessel was being repaired. He also gave huge sums of money to Isaac Arhin to buy foodsfuff and other items for the journey”.

Insp. Adaba told the court that when he visited the vessel, it had fresh paints on the sides which indicated that the crew on their journey changed the vessel’s name from Benjamin to Adede II.