Crime & Punishment of Monday, 24 November 2014

Source: Daily Guide

2 Jailed for supplying wee

An Accra circuit court presided over by Francis Obiri, yesterday sentenced a labourer and an unemployed man to two years’ imprisonment each for supplying Indian hemp, popularly called wee, around the Dansoman lorry park at Kaneshie, Accra.

This was after the suspects, Latule Akologo and Frafra Tongo, had told the court in Frafra through an interpreter that they were guilty of supplying the stuff, while Akologo, who was charged with carrying offensive weapons, pleaded guilty to the charge.

Their alleged accomplice, Yaba Emmanuel, who was caught smoking 'wee', was given four months’ jail term after he had pleaded guilty to the charge of carrying offensive weapons and using narcotic drugs without lawful authority.

They told the court that they used the substance as a booster when they were doing manual work, when they were asked by the trial judge the reason why they were using drugs.

The judge, after listening to the accused, slapped them with the sentence.

Narrating events leading to the arrest of the convicts, the prosecutor, DSP Ernest Acheampong, told the court that Akologo is a labourer and Tongo is unemployed who sometimes engaged in manual work, while Yaba is a trader.

According to him, on October 8, 2014 the Kaneshie police had a tip-off that some persons were peddling and smoking 'wee' at the Dansoman lorry park at Kaneshie.

He said upon that hint, one Chief Inspector Adusei was dispatched to the scene and he succeeded in arresting Akologo and Tongo, who both had some dry leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, in a brown polyethene bag which they were offering for sale.

In addition, the police officer stated that Yaba was caught smoking a brownish substance suspected to be wee.

Explaining further, DSP Acheampong stated that when the suspects were arrested, the police found a pair of scissors, jack knife and broken bottles on

them.

The prosecutor posited that they failed to tell the court what they were keeping those weapons for and claimed ownership of the narcotic substance which

they were offering for sale.

He said they were arraigned after police had concluded investigations.