Accra, March 11, GNA - An Accra Regional Tribunal on Tuesday issued a bench warrant for the arrest of three drug suspects who jumped bail and failed to appear in court to answer their charges. The suspects are Alhaji Kofi Dauda, a businessman, Attah Kwesi, a building contractor and Kofi Akuoko, a mason.

They have been charged with three counts of doing prohibited business relating to narcotic drug, possession of narcotic drug without authority contrary to section 2(1) of the Narcotic Law, 1990 (PNDCL 236) and engaging in prohibited business relating to narcotic drug. The suspects who were brought to court on January 25 this year feigned sickness and had to be admitted to bail by Mr Justice Samuel Frank Manu even though under the offence they were not to be bailed. On March 4, when the case was called again, the suspects failed to turn up in court to answer the charges.

The prosecution said on October 3, 2007 a team of CID personnel from the Organised Crime Unit of the CID Headquarters of the Ghana Police Service arrested the suspects at House No. 9 Nsuofa Sowutuom in Accra.

The prosecution said during a search at the house, which belonged to the Alhaji Dauda, 19 slabs and 101 thumb-sized substances suspected to be cocaine were found in his bedroom. Attah Kwesi and Kofi Akouko were also arrested in the same house.

The suspects in their statements to the police stated that the substances found in the bedroom were brought to them by five Nigerian friends to be re-parcelled for a fee.

He said October 4, 2007 the white substance was forwarded to the Ghana Standards Board for analytical examination and proved to be positive for cocaine with a total net weight of 21,262.1714 grams.