Family neglect cocaine man’s body at Korle-Bu

The body of Kweku Sarfo, the 59-year-old man who was detained at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) when he was found with 77 pellets of thumb-size cocaine in his stomach, has been lying unclaimed at the Korle Bu mortuary since he passed away last Friday.

Kweku Sarfo arrived at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) last Wednesday complaining of severe stomach ache, which kept deteriorating, necessitating a surgical operation by doctors.

The operation led to the discovery of 77 pellets of thumb-size cocaine in his stomach and the subsequent guarding of the patient by the police.

Now, authorities at the hospital fear that a debt left by the man through drugs and other consumables that were used for his treatment might go unpaid if the family fails to claim the body. Kweku Sarfo died at about 10.30pm on Friday after doctors had tried unsuccessfully to treat him.

Hospital sources have revealed to The Finder newspaper that Kweku Sarfo was a diabetes patient hence particles of the substance he swallowed had entered his blood stream and that might have accounted for his unfortunate demise. “As at now no relation of his has shown up so we are appealing to his relations to show up and help settle the bill and claim the body,” Mustapha Salifu, public relations officer of the KBTH, said.

Mustapha said the costs of drugs used for Sarfo’s treatment were very expensive, but he could not immediately place a figure on how much was spent in trying to treat him. He asked the family members not to fear anything since they were not involved in any crime.

“That is why we are asking the family members to come and help to identify the body and claim it for burial and also help to defray the cost the hospital incurred in offering treatment to him,” he added.

Kweku Sarfo was arrested on Wednesday after the 77 thumb-size pellets of suspected drugs wrapped in condom-like rubbers were removed from his stomach after a surgical operation. He was said to have personally rushed to the KBTH and was subsequently taken to the theatre where the 77 pellets of what was suspected to be cocaine were removed from his stomach.

Medical doctors reported the situation to the police and he was thereafter placed under a 24-hour security guard. Some media reports have it that the morning before his death, two of his relations – his pregnant wife and one of his siblings – were at the Korle Bu Police Station to identify him as a relative.

The two were said to have been briefly detained by the police and subsequently granted bail after giving statements to the effect that Kweku had been travelling abroad very often but did not know exactly what he went there to do, neither was the wife able to tell the kind of work or business he did for a living.

The late Kweku Sarfo was said to have resided in Kumasi.