Crime & Punishment of Wednesday, 18 June 2014

Source: GNA

Two sentenced on drug charges

Kofi Nkansah, 22, and Kwadwo Badu, 20, both unemployed were on Tuesday sentenced to six months and one month’s imprisonment for supply of dried leaves suspected to be narcotic drugs, without lawful authority.

Kofi was charged for supplying dried leaves suspected to be narcotics to his customers and is to serve six months and pay a fine of 100 penalty units, while Kwadwo was charged for using one wrap of dried leaves and is to serve one month imprisonment.

The two, both pleaded guilty to the charges and were convicted on their own plea. Police Chief Inspector K Adu told the court that the complainants are police officers stationed at Kaneshie, while the convicts reside in a slum popularly known as Tuobodom at Kwame Nkrumah Circle.

He said on June 13, the Kaneshie police conducted a swoop in areas such as Darkuman, Cable and wireless, Kaneshie and Kwame Nkrumah Circle.

He said in the course of the operation, Kofi was arrested in the slum with quantities of dried leaves suspected to be narcotic, while Kwadwo was also arrested with partly smoked wrap of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.

The prosecution said during investigations Kofi admitted ownership of the dried leaves and mentioned one Tawiah as the person who supplies him the drug for sale, but Kwadwo denied ownership of the partly smoked wrap.