General News of Wednesday, 23 September 2009

Source: GNA

Case of three Americans drug exporters adjourned

Accra, Sept. 23, GNA - Prosecution in the case of the three Americans charged with attempting to export and possessing narcotic drugs without licence said on Wednesday they were waiting for the final report on the substances from the Ghana Standard Board. Mr George Kwadwo Ofori, Senior Attorney, therefore prayed for an adjournment.

The accused are Shardarack Bamfo Ntiamoah, a Fire Officer, Abena Serwa and Gabriel Joanne both students were arrested on September 9, this year, at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) while going through departure formalities.

Ntiamoah and Serwa had pleaded not guilty at the last sitting. Joanne did not answer to the plea at the last sitting with the excuse that she could not do that in the absence of her lawyer has also pleaded not guilty now.

Mr. Agyei Lartey, a legal practitioner represented the three. They have been remanded in prison custody by the court presided over Mr. Justice Charles Quist to re-appear on October 8. Earlier Mr. Ofori said the accused persons were residents of Bronze(New York) and New Jersey in the US respectively.

He said the accused persons arrived at the KIA to board a Delta Airlines to the JFK Airport, and while going through departure formalities, Narcotic Control Board Operatives suspected Ntiamoah of carrying narcotic drugs in the sole of his shoes.

Mr. Ofori said during a search on Joanne and Serwa, it was detected that they had hidden 19 pellets of whitish substances suspected to be cocaine in their genitals organs.

He said when they were interrogated, the accused mentioned one Abubakar in the US as the one who gave them money to collect the drugs from one Alhaji in Accra.

They said the Alhaji met them at KIA on September 2, this year,when they arrived in the country and took care of their needs and gave them the substances to be sent to Abubakar in the US. Prosecution said efforts to trace Abubakar and Alhaji had proved futile.

The substance has been forwarded to the Ghana Standards Board for analytical examination.