General News of Tuesday, 17 April 2007

Source: GNA

"Wee bitters" now on sale- Police

Accra, April 17, GNA- A local gin, Akpeteshie laced with Indian hemp, a narcotic drug is now being displayed at drinking spots on sale to the public.

This came to light when the Police at La swooped on a drinking bar at La Wireless and found Indian hemp soaked in a food flask, two bottles of the solution and a quantity of Indian hemp wrapped in newspapers. The swoop led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Samuel Nyamekye Adane Ameyaw, the La District Commander arrested Akwasi Mensah a drinking bar operator at La Wireless on Saturday April 14, this year. The swoop was to track down the activities of narcotic dealers, including drug peddlers in and around La.

ASP Ameyaw said apart from those soaked in the food flask and the bottles, a quantity of the drug was found wrapped in newsprints when Mensah's room was searched.

The La Commander said the suspect admitted selling them to the public, who also patronise it.

ASP Ameyaw said the discovery sent signals to the Police that sections of the youth in La were adamant to the use of narcotic drugs which was assuming new dimensions.

"This shows that people are not only smoking Indian hemp but are using them in various ways."

This, he said, required the efforts of the elders in La and the Police to help fight the menace.

ASP Ameyaw warned other drinking bar operators who engaged in similar activities to desist from the practice saying the Police would continue with their operations against drugs and crime. He said the suspect had been put before court for possessing narcotic drugs.