By William Yaw Owusu
Thursday May 10 2007
THE initial investigator in the case of six persons charged for the importation of 77 parcels of cocaine on board the MV Benjamin vessel says the security agencies arrested the driver of Asem Darke, popularly called Sheriff, the police’s most wanted man, but asked him to go because they could pick up the figitive.
Police Detective Inspector Justice Oppong, yesterday told the Accra Fast Track High Court trying the case that Joseph Kojo Rawson, the vessel owner, also on trial had said in his caution statement that he lured Sheriff’s driver to the arresting officers led by the Narcotic Control Board (NACOB) in Tema but the officers said they were capable of arresting Sheriff without the assistance of the driver.
“When the NACOB officials picked me, I called Sheriff to inform him that the vessel had incurred debt at the Tema Port and he was to defray it immediately but instead, Sheriff sent his driver with 1,200 dollars to come and settle it and the driver was arrested”, Detective Oppong quoted Dawson as saying in his statement.
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; a vessel engineer and Luo Yui Xing, 49, all Chinese.
All six men have been charged with various roles they played in the importation of the cocaine to the Tema Port in April last year.
Seventy-six of the parcels are still missing.
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.
Cross examined by D.K.Ameley, counsel for Dawson, Inspector Oppong, told the court that the charter agreement was in January last year between a Korean called Bae who is the initial owner of the vessel, Dawson and Sherriff and it was witnessed by Sheriff’s lawyer called Owuo of Beechem Chambers.
He said he did not know if Dashment Company in which Dawson is the Managing Director had bought MV Benjamin on a higher purchase and added that Dawson in his statement had said there was a time when Bae told him that a Ghanaian called Sheriff had expressed interest in getting the vessel to tow his from the high seas in Guinea.
He further told the court that he did not know the person who had crew the vessel but said he was awere that it was Isaac Arhin who brought Philip Arhin into the vessel adding that it he was also awere that it was a Korean called Killer also wanted in the case who brought sullies to the vessel saying “I do not know if Dawson was involved in the arrangement”.
Inspector Oppong said in a cross-examination by James Agalga, counsel for Bok Sil that it was Bae who contacted Bok Sil to repair the vessel.
Earlier in his evidence-in chief led by Mrs. Yvonne Atakorah Obuobisah, the investigator said Li in his caution statement had said that they sailed to the high seas on April 7, last year and was not told what they were giong to do.
Li said in his statement that while on the high seas a bigger vessel came close to theirs and the people who looked like Ghanaians offloaded some cartons into the vessel before they returned to Tema where two smaller boat came at night to offload the parcels and went away with the Captain and the Chief Engineer.
In Xing’s statement the Detective said he admitted being on the vessel as a cook but claimed he did not see what transpired on the high seas.
Inspector Oppong said he retrived Sheriif’s land cruiser vehicle at Kpone Kokompe where the it had been disguised and also got the Daewoo saloon car used by Killer.
The court preseded over by Justice Annin Yeboah of the Court of Appeal adjourned until May 16, for Osei Owusu and Solomon Korley, counsel for the Arhins and the Chinese respectively to cross examined the witness.
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