State absent to prosecute alleged cocaine dealers

An Accra Circuit Court, presided over by Mr Francis Obiri, on Thursday adjourned to May 14, the case involving Alexander Kofi Baah, and Shahad Iddrisu, both businessmen due to the absence of State Prosecutors for the commencement of trail.

The accused persons, who have been charged with conspiracy to commit crime and prohibited business relating to narcotics, had pleaded not guilty to the charges and were on a GH? 50,000.00 bail with three sureties.

Initially, the prosecutor prayed the court to throw out the application for bail filed by Ellis Owusu–Fordwouh on March 31, 2015, arguing that the court was not the right forum.

At an earlier sitting, Ms Rebecca K. Ajalo, a Senior State Attorney said some time last year, Baah went to visit a friend in Tema where he met Iddrisu, who introduced him to a businessman, a dealer in several products.

She said when Iddrisu got to know that Baah could speak Spanish fluently, he required his assistance to travel with him to Brazil to do business.

She said Iddrisu wanted Baah as an interpreter. Baah told him that he has a friend in Bolivia and that he would introduce him (Iddrisu) to him, so that they could do business.

“Baah told Iddrisu that his friend, who lives in Bolivia does business in organic fertilizer production, in which Iddrisu became delighted, and expressed interest to travel to Bolivia,” she added.

She said the accused person then travelled to Bolivia to meet the businessman and after their business transactions, they returned to Ghana.

On March 4, this year, the Bolivian authorities arrested the Bolivian businessman, his nephew and the nephew’s wife and one Ednenis Rivero ROCO, in a premise where about 5,880 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in 840 sacks of fertilizer was seized.

Investigations so far indicated that the consignment was bound to be shipped to Burkina Faso and was to have been received by the accused persons and others yet to be apprehended.