Tribunal grants bail to five policemen allegedly involved in drug case

Accra, May 30, GNA - The Greater Accra Regional Tribunal on Wednesday granted bail to five policemen allegedly involved in the supply, possession and abetment of crime relating to narcotic drugs without lawful authority.

They pleaded not guilty and the court admitted them to 300 million cedis bail each with one surety to reappear on June 21. The accused are: George Akoi, 28, Isaac Anwan, 30, Dominic Amezah, 29, Anthony Adjei, 30 and Collins Ohenemang, 26.

The court had earlier granted bail to Oppong Kyei, 50, and Francis Arthur, 43 in the sum of 300 million cedis each. Two other accused persons, Maxwell Antwi, a car dealer and Ekow Russel, a police officer at the Regional Monitors Unit, have been remanded into police custody pending further investigations. According to the prosecutor, Deputy Superintendent of Police John Kofi Abraham, Russel supplied a whitish substance suspected to be a narcotic drug to Antwi.

The facts of the case are that on March 27, personnel from the Organised Crime Unit of the CID Headquarters arrested Antwi with some whitish substance suspected to be narcotic drug. Upon interrogations he confirmed the substance to be cocaine and mentioned Russel as the source of supply. During investigations Russel admitted the offence and in his caution statement said he seized the cocaine from a Nigerian drug dealer, Sebastian Uba at Tema on January 16 with the other accused persons from the Regional Monitors Unit.

Investigations further revealed that eight slabs of cocaine were seized from Uba but only one slab was d eclared at the Regional CID when a case was being made against Uba.

On January 31, Uba escaped from Russel when he was instructed by an officer to bring him from La Police cells where he was on remand. Detailed investigations further disclosed that 6,000 US dollars out of the proceeds made from the sale of the seven slabs of cocaine was given to the rest of the accused persons at the station to share, but Kyei and Arthur denied any knowledge of sharing any booty.