Crime & Punishment of Tuesday, 14 November 2023

Source: GNA

Bar operator, attendant accused of drugs peddling freed by Court

File photo File photo

The inability of the Police to produce a forensic report on wee and alcoholic beverage suspected to be laced with narcotic drugs, has led to the discharge of two persons.

An Adentan Circuit Court contended that for over 12 months, the court had not received the forensic report on the alleged narcotic drugs to enable the court to commence the trial of the two accused persons.

The two accused persons are Dzifa Dzikunu, a 37-year-old chop bar operator and Amekudzi Kwasi Junior, a 32-year-old welder and a bar attendant.

The two accused persons were charged with abetment of crime to wit, unlawful possession or control of narcotic drugs and unlawful possession or control.

The two accused persons had been granted bail.

When the matter was called today at the Adentan Circuit Court, Prosecution led by Chief Superintendent of Police Patience Mario, told the court to grant them an adjournment so she could contact the case investigator to ascertain the status of the forensic report.

The court presided over by Sedinam Awo Balokah noted that the court had waited for 12 months for the report and that it could no longer wait.

The court therefore discharged the accused persons and sureties and struck out the case for want of prosecution.

The case of the prosecution was that on September 18, 2022, at about 10:00 pm, the Oyibi District Police embarked on a swoop at a suspected criminal hideout at Kpone Bawaleshie, near Oyibi, Accra.

Prosecution said in the process, Dzifa and Amekudzi were arrested with 50 wraps of dried substances suspected to narcotic drugs and alcoholic beverages suspected to have been laced with narcotic drugs at the spot operated by the accused person where “they were cohabiting under one roof.”

The court was told that Police preliminary investigations indicated that “Amekudzi deals in narcotics drugs and uses the spot of Dzifa for such activities.”