The recently intercepted 100 compressed parcels of Indian hemp concealed in Fante Kenkey en route from Ghana to the United Kingdom (UK) have been forwarded to the police forensic laboratory for testing.
Chief Supt Duuti Tuaruka disclosed this in an Accra Circuit Court yesterday.
Anthony Lamoh, counsel for the accused persons—Kwaku Boateng, 47, a Travel and Tour Agent and Yaw Opoku, 62, driver—said taking the substance for testing and receiving the results ought not take the prosecution a long time.
The trial judge, Aboagye Tandoh, adjourned sitting until November 23, 2015, by which time the prosecution may have received the results of the test.
It is the case of the prosecution led by C/Supt Tuaruka that the accused persons on October 19, 2015, at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra, were in possession of the narcotic drug without lawful authority.
Kwaku and Yaw have also been charged for attempted exportation of the narcotic drug without lawful authority contrary to sections 56(a) and (1) of the Narcotic Drug Enforcement Drug Control Enforcement (Control and Sanctions) of PNDC law 236/1990.
The two have however denied the charges.
The facts of the case are that the complainants, who are police officers, at 8pm on the said day received information that the accused persons had stuffed a Hyundai HI mini bus with cartons of compressed dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp meant for export to the UK.
The prosecution said the complainants went to the Airport and laid in ambush and that at about 10:30pm the same day they saw the said vehicle with registration number GB 5409-12 heading towards the Aviance Cargo section of the airport.
It further stated that Yaw, the driver, upon interrogation, told the police that it was Kenkey but when one of the parcels was opened, 10 parcels of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp wrapped with Fante Kenkey leaves were discovered.
jeffdegraft44@yahoo.com
By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson