Some police officers trading in illicit drugs - Reformed cocaine addict

A former BBC correspondent, Jeff Paa Joe Odonkor, has expressed disappointment in the Ghana Police Service for failing to fight the rise in drug peddling in the country.

The journalist narrating how he wasted his life savings on hard drugs disclosed on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm that, there are some police officials who deal in hard drugs.

He also alleged that some police officers work with illegal drug peddlers and before they embark on a mission to arrest suspected drug peddlers, some of the police officers, inform the suspects so they will escape arrest.

Paa Joe said, he has regretted wasting his wealth on drugs because he was unable to invest in any property. He revealed on the show that, he was encouraged to go into the exportation of drugs after a lady he was interested in snubbed him because he had no car or enough money.

He said, ‘’the money I was receiving from journalism was extremely low. What turned the tide; I went to Accra girls where big time guys including Abede Pele, Kofi Capito and others were meeting. I met a lady there and expressed interest but she refused and told me I was poor.

But then, someone introduced me to the carrying of drugs on the body abroad. My first trip to Italy, fetched me $4, 000. I managed to purchase a car and some clothes.

I later realized my test was getting higher, and so I went on a second trip and got $6,000. But my test was getting bigger and bigger and so I got $10,000 and $12,000 respectively. The lady then got closer because she saw that I had made enough money.’’

He further disclosed that because the drug officers were employing means to arrest wee peddlers, he started exporting cocaine abroad and his first trip got him over $100,000.

‘’The world was mine. I took the lady abroad and started sniffing cocaine on a daily basis at an amount of $5,000. I started buying expensive cars and living extravagant lifestyle. I was cruising on boats with the lady in foreign countries,’’ he narrated.

He said, ‘’if you sniff, sell or trade in cocaine, you will make money but that will be your destruction. I was not sniffing cocaine but I was threatened by the foreigners and that became my undoing.

I started felling bad, I was feeling very bad and so I had to run different tests but I was not getting better and so, I visited a police friend who is now dead; the police friend told me I was hooked up to the cocaine and addicted.

My friend then gave me a spoon full of the drug for me to sniff. I felt relieved at the time and that was the beginning of my physical and psychological addiction which took 28 years to kick. I lost my monies, I lost my cars. I sold everything including my bed because the addiction was high.

It got a point; I had to steal in order to sell the items so I could cure the addiction. As I sit with you, I wouldn’t mind stealing your phone which could be GHc2,000 and sell it for GHc200 so I will be able to buy the drug and sniff.’’