By William Yaw Oausu
Friday May 4,2007
The investigstor in the case in which 588 kilogeamess of cocaine was siezed from a house in East Legon in Accra in 2005,yesterday told an Accra Fast Track High Court that David Duarte Vasqeuz the main suspect behind the importation used Compimchex Limited as a front for the cocaine business.
Detective Chief Inspector Ernest Godfried Frimpong said the company,registered in Ghana was jointly owned by Vasquez a Venezuelan, Grace A. Asibi his Ghanaian girlfriend and a man called Vicente Cross.
Chief Inspector Frimpong was testifying in the case in which two Venezuelans Joel Mella 35,machine operator and Halo Cabezza Castillo 38,businessman are being tried in connection with the seized drugs.
Vasquez,believed to be the brain behind the importation of the narcotic substance and who has also been charged together with the two, is still at large.
Mella and Castillo, who were in court have pleaded not guilty to four counts of conspiracy, importation and possessing narcotic drugs without lawful authority.
Led in evidence by Ms. Gertrude Aikins, the Acting Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Chief Inspector Frimpong who is the eighth prosecution witness told the court that "we wrote to the three directors of the company to assist us in our investigations but there was no response from any of them".
He said investigations revealed that Vasquez was the brother of Mella and the figitve was the same person who had picked his brother from the airport on November 19, 2005.
He told the court presided over by Justice E.K. Ayebi that the two accused persons although claimed they all came to Ghana on board Alitalia Airline they could not show the police where their passports were.
Tendering the caution statement of Mella, the witness said he cautioned him on June 28,last year and added that the accused had said he was in the country for a gold business.
"He said in his statement that he was met at the airport by one Shamo or Bude and was given 15 days visa but my investigations revealed that the names he mentioned were all in reference to Vasquez".
He said Mella had said in his statement that he did not know anything about the cocaine and had also said he did not know the owner of the house in which he was picked by the police.
Reading the statement of Castillo, the witness said the accused claimed he arrived in Ghana on November 19, 2007 as a tourist.
In the staement the accused said he was arrested outside the residnce and taken into the house and did not know anything about the drugs.
Chief Inspector Frimpong further told the court that the police found a book in which sales of cocaine had been recorded.
He also said because the accused could not speak English the police securd the services of a Spanish interpretor for them during the interrogation and their counsel was always present whenever they were questioned.
The court adjourned proceedings until May 11, for Mr. Kwabla Dogbe Senanu to cross-examined Chief Inspector Frimpong.
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