Source: Africa
A Circuit Court in Tema, a port city within the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, has sentenced two Ghanaian police officers to 13 years imprisonment for unlawfully possessing narcotic drugs and conspiracy to traffic narcotic drugs.
The sentencing comes after close to four years of trial.
The prosecution, led by ASP Ernest Kuofie, said the case started in 2023 when an officer at the Afienya District Police Command reported suspicious activities involving the two police officers namely ASP Nasiru Amadu and Corporal Emmanuel Mintah.
ASP Kuofie says at the time, Amadu, age 48, was the second-in-command at the Sakumono District Police Headquarters while Mintah, age 43, served under him as a service driver.
He told the court presided over by Her Ladyship Aleanor Kakra Barnes Botchway, that on November 19, 2023, officers on snap-check duty received intelligence that a Nissan Navara with registration number GP 727 was transporting narcotics from Ho to Accra.
According to ASK Kuofie, around 7:15 p.m., the two police officers arrived at the checkpoint and were intercepted.
He added that a search of the vehicle revealed eight bags containing compressed parcels of substances suspected to be narcotics.
Investigations revealed that Mintah had a relative popularly known as “Oluman” who is a said to be a resident of Ashaiman Tulaku and an allegedly known narcotics dealer.
According to the prosecutor, on the day of the trafficking, Mintah had been contacted by “Oluman” to transport Indian hemp from Peki Tsibu in the Volta Region to Tulaku, adding that Mintah contacted Amadu who later spoke with “Oluman” to finalize the arrangement.
The two police officers then drove vehicle GP 727 from Sakumono to a forest near Peki Tsibu, where they received the drugs from a Benz bus.
The Prosecutor says they were arrested on their way back to Accra, adding that it later emerged that this was the second time the officers had engaged in such an operation.
The Forensic Crime Laboratory confirmed the seized substances as narcotics.
The court ruled that the two officers unlawfully possessed narcotics for trafficking, contrary to Section 23(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960, and Section 37(2)(b) of the Narcotic Control Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1019).
ASP Amadu and Corporal Mintah were sentenced to 10 and 5 years, respectively, to run concurrently. They were additionally fined 10,000 penalty units (GH¢120,000) each, or in default, serve an additional three years in prison.
