Cocaine Lady: I thought I was carrying gold not 'coke'

Nayele Ametefeh, the Lady arrested with 12.5kg of cocaine at the Heathrow Airport in UK, has said that she did not know she was transporting cocaine but rather thought it was gold.

This was revealed by Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Hannah Tetteh who told Radio Gold Tuesday, that Ametefeh revealed to consular officials at the Ghana Mission in the UK that an airport ground staff at the Kotoka International Airport – who she does not know - brought the bag containing the drugs aboard the plane and handed it over to her.

According to Ms Tetteh, Ametefeh explained that she wanted to undertake the trip because the reward was good.

She, however, wondered why Ghanaian authorities were interested in her case when she was not travelling on a Ghanaian passport.

“She told Ghanaian consular officers that she went through the VIP lounge and that she didn’t carry anything onto the plane but when she got onto the plane somebody who is a [KIA] ground staff brought a bag to her, she doesn’t know who the person is but the person knew her name and the seat on which she was sitting.

“She took the bag and it was heavy and so she opened it and took out two packets and put them in her handbag and then she put them in the luggage compartment. She added that as far as she was concerned she didn’t know what she was holding was cocaine but thought it was gold,” Ms Tetteh narrated.

According to the former Trades Minister, consular officials quoted the suspect as saying she was ready to do time in jail and was not ready to expose who she was working with or for.