Six Granted Bail In Cocaine Case

An Accra circuit court yesterday granted bail in various sums with justification to six Ghanaians, including four policemen, who have been remanded in custody for an alleged cocaine deal and for extortion.

Deric Osei Owusu, a Ghanaian-born British soldier, and Leonard Banafo, a student, were each granted bail in the sum of ?500 million with a surety to be justified.

They are also to surrender their passports to the registrar of the court and present themselves to the Greater Accra Regional Police twice a week until further notice.

The policemen, Detective Sergeant Stanley Gbeglo and Lance Corporals Karimu Osuman, Ebenezer Ogbordjo and J. K. Mensah, all stationed at the Cantonments Police Station, were each granted bail in the sum of ?200 million with a surety to be justified.

They are also to present themselves to the Regional Police twice a week until further notice.

Owusu and Banafo pleaded not guilty to possessing narcotic drugs, while the policemen also pleaded not guilty to extortion.

The substance which was allegedly retrieved from the suspects when they were arrested has been forwarded to the Ghana Standards Board for examination.

Scores of relatives and well-wishers of the accused persons who thronged the court were excited at their bail and were seen hugging each other when they heard that the accused had been granted bail.

They also shook hands with some of the defence lawyers, apparently to congratulate them on, at least, getting bail for their clients.

Owusu was believed to be among a gang of dealers who were preparing some couriers to swallow 163 pellets of cocaine at a discotheque at Adabraka when the policemen, upon a tip-off, went there, ostensibly to arrest them.

However, on reaching the place, the policemen allegedly demanded a bribe of $60,000 but were offered $18,000 and a car. But when they allegedly refused the offer, saying it was not enough, Owusu and Banafo were said to have gone round Accra, raising an additional ?600 and ?3 million.

The facts of the case are that on May 27, 2005, the Regional Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) had information that Sgt Gbeglo and Cpls Osuman, Ogbordjo and Mensah had arrested Owusu and Banafo in a hotel at Laterbiokoshie with a quantity of cocaine and were extorting $60,000 from them.

Based on that information, a team from the Regional CID trailed them to a discotheque at Adabraka, where they met Owusu and Banafo in handcuffs while Sgt Gbeglo and Cpl Osuman stood by them.

Cpls Ogbordjo and Mensah managed to escape when they saw the CID team but the rest of them were arrested and escorted to the Deputy Regional Commander?s office, where a search was conducted on them.

The search revealed 163 thumb-size, oval-shaped substances suspected to be cocaine, $18,000, ?600 and ?3 million in a polythene bag which was found with Gbeglo.

Owusu was said to have claimed ownership of the suspected cocaine and stated that the policemen, after arresting them, demanded an amount of $60,000 but they were able to raise $18,000, ?600 and ?3 million through one Yusif at Zongo Lane, who contributed $10,000, while the proprietor of a forex bureau at Adabraka provided $8,000.

The ?600 and ?3 million were claimed by Owusu as his personal contribution.