The Herald’s investigations into the 4.3 Million Pounds Sterling worth of cocaine and wee impounded at the Heathrow Airport, in the United Kingdom (UK), have landed an interesting document prepared by the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB), on one of the biggest drugs haul from the shores Ghana.
It was also discovered that both cocaine and wee did not leave the shores separately but were part of six containers of foodstuffs sent to the Aviance section of the Kotoka International Airport to be airlifted by Virgin Atlantic flight No. VS 0658 to the UK.
The containers were sent to the airport at 2am on Sunday, September 23, when officials of the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB), the Customs Excise and Preventive Services (CEPS) and other security officials stationed at the airport had closed and gone home as cargo aircrafts only load during the day. Insiders shockingly told The Herald that only one container amongst the six was scanned through by the Nick T-C Scan, operated by Ghana Link, on the day of checking, to find out whether or not there was anything illegal in them.
Apparently, It was three out of five unchecked containers which had the drugs concealed in the foodstuffs.
Details of the 5-page document are that ….”in the morning of Thursday September 27,2012 Mr. Phil Marshall one of the officers of our collaborators ,Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) of UK sent a message to the cell phone of the Deputy Executive Secretary in charge of Enforcement and Control, Mr. Richard Nii Lante Blankson indicating that ‘I have some info for you about some seizure at Heathrow Airport … ‘He followed up with a telephone call to the same effect and later called at NACOB Headquarters with an official report on the seizure of 7.5 kg of cocaine and 1545kgs of herbal cannabis from Accra to UK”.
The SOCA report indicated that on Monday September 24 and Tuesday September 25, 2012, the UK Border Agency examined four consignments of foodstuffs having arrived by Air from Accra on Virgin Atlantic flight No. VS 0658.
Consignment 1 Goods: 7.5Kgs of cocaine hydrochloride Consignor: Ghana Consignee: Kwaso Enterprise c/o St. Marks Freight Services Unit 7&8 MKT Trading Estate, Christopher Road, South Hall, Middlesex, UB25UG Date Of Arrest: 25th September, 2012
Consignment 2 Goods: 440KGS of Herbal cannabis Consignor: Kwaso Ent., P.O.Box 128, Makola Accra Consignee: Kwaso Ent., c/o St. Marks Freight Services, 132 Inner Street, Enfield, London. Date Of Arrest: 24th September, 2012
Consignment 3 Goods: 510Kgs of Herbal cannabis Consignor: Kwaso Enterprise, P.O. Box 1437, Accra, Ghana Consignee: Afromart Mini Market, 178 Hertford Road, Enfield, London, EN33 AZ5 Date Of Arrest: 24th September, 2012
Consignment 4 Goods: 595kgs of Herbal Cannabis Consignor: Wend Ventures, P.O. Box 374, Achimota, Accra Consignee: Rose Dufie c/o Air Marine Ltd. Stockwell, Cadeian, London Date Of Arrest: 24th September, 2012
NACOB itself has started its own internal investigation. The Executive Secretary has made a contact with Mr. Alex Yeboah of Aviance Cargo Village, Mr. E.S. Akwerh the Deputy Commissioner, Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Managing Director of Nick Scan.
The aim of the investigation is to investigate the shipping of the drugs, including the activities during loading at the Airport, the freight agents and each consignor listed for the goods. Shipping Of The Drugs
Records show that four (4) different consignments as in Air Ghana House Way Bill 00042510 with master Airway bill number, 31382050, confirmed the consignor/shipper as Wend Ventures and the consignee as Rose Dufie C/o Air Marine Ltd, Stockwell Cadeian, London. However, the Goods Management Certificates A 328261 indicates “1 unit of food stuffs with gross weight 948 described as produce of Ghana going by air to the UK as destination from Ghana as originating country.
The consignee on this certificate was Rose Dufie c/o ST. Mark Freight Services, Room 46, BLDC 521 Stanley Road, UK. The nature and quantity of the goods were described as Corn husk, Plantain, Cocoyam and Cocoyam leaves”.
The items were conveyed on flight number VS0658/24.The House Airway Bill 00042512 with Master Airway bill 31382050 records that the shipper was Kwaso Ent. P.O. Box 128 Makola, Accra.
Under the nature and quality of goods “Corn husk, Plantain, Cocoyam and Cocoyam leaves” was recorded. Indeed Kwaso Enterprise was given a Phytosanitary Certificate by the Plant Protection Regulatory Services Directorate of Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
The Kwaso Enterprise was supposed to have been issued with a Goods Movement Certificate with number A325204 signed and duly stamped by the appropriate Export Inspection Officer of Customs Division of GRA.
Furthermore, the goods were brought in the early hours of Monday September 24, 2012 between the hours of 0200hrs to 0400hrs.
We have just found out that the NACOB officers who were supposed to be on duty from 1800 hours to 0600 hours GMT left their duty post at 2100 hours GMT on Sunday September 23, 2012 for no apparent reason and without recording this in the station diary.
The normal process of air freighting begins with the items being brought to Aviance Village and the goods must always be inspected physically by officials of the Profiling Security Company selected by the Airline, in this case Airport Profiling Security Services (APSS) and the Customs Division of GRA, and from NACOB’s point of view it is very clear that the goods were not inspected by APSS and Customs Division of GRA because the consignments were slabs and they could not have been food stuffs.
What has also been observed is that the Pallet Tag/Control Record which would normally be signed by AVSEC officials was not signed by AVSEC officials but rather signed simply as ‘Kwaso Enterprise’ and for some reason, out of the so-called seven packages which Kwaso Enterprise indicated that they would take for scanning, only one was scanned. The others were never scanned and yet the items went.
Actions Taken So Far Five NACOB officers who were supposed to be on duty are helping the Police in their investigations. We have been in touch with Customs Division of the GRA, Aviance and Ghana Link -the Company that does the scanning-and we are assembling all the necessary documentation. NACOB is also in touch with its partners to verify the authenticity of the addresses of the consignees.
NACOB has asked Ghana Post to check on the authenticity of the addresses in Ghana. NACOB asked SOCA to check on the authenticity of the addresses in the UK and SOCA has confirmed that all the addresses were faked.
We have reorganized the duty roster into a three shift system. Each shift will now work for eight (8) hours.
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