Tribunal unable to decide fate of alleged drug barons

Accra, Jan. 29 GNA - An Accra Regional Tribunal on Thursday could not rule on a bail application made on behalf of six members of the cocaine smuggling syndicate, who were busted on January 7 at Tema with a large cache of the drugs.

The Tribunal presided over by Mr Justice P.K. Aggrey said the panel was unable to meet to decide on the case and it, therefore, adjourned the case to Monday February 2.


Kevin Gorman, 59, an American; Mohammed Ibrahim Kamil and Alan Hodson 45, David Logan 43, and Frank Lavelrick 43, all British and 45-year-old Sven Herb, a German, have been charged with conspiracy and possessing narcotic drug without authority.


Gorman was additionally charged for using his property for narcotic offence.


They have all pleaded not guilty.


Accused persons who appeared before the tribunal last Wednesday, were remanded into custody to re-appear on Thursday for the tribunal to rule on whether to grant them bail or not.


Earlier, Mr Addo Attuah and Mr Koblah Senanu, Counsel for the accused persons, prayed the tribunal to grant their clients bail but it refused. Mr Anthony Gyambiby, Chief State Attorney, is representing the State. Mr Gyambiby said Gorman is a Director, Shareholder and Operations Manager of Tuna- To-Go, a shipping company based in Tema.

He said on January 7, the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) and the Drug Enforcement Unit (DREU) of the Police Service raided the residence of Gorman and discovered bales and parcels of whitish substances suspected to be cocaine concealed in a specially constructed hole or compartment in a wall in the corridor upstairs behind a large dressing mirror.


The Chief State Attorney said Logan, Lavelrick and Hodgson, who were living in the house with Gorman at the time of the raid, were confronted with the substance.


He said Gorman told the Police that the bales and parcels were brought there for safe keeping by one Yakuba for a fee of 50,000 dollars. The rest of the suspects including Herb, who arrived later, denied knowledge of the substances.


Mr Gyambiby said investigations revealed that on December 31, 2003, Kamil delivered the bales or boxes of suspected drugs to Gorman's house. Herb who earlier visited Gorman assisted him (Gorman) and Kamil to off load them upstairs.


According to Mr Gyambiby, examination by the Ghana Standard Board has revealed that the whitish substances were cocaine.