Accra, June 5, GNA - A Nigerian who swallowed 70 pellets of cocaine was on Monday sentenced to 10 years=92 imprisonment with hard labour by the Greater Regional Tribunal.
Eke Akuma Urum pleaded guilty to attempted exportation of narcotic drugs and possession of narcotic drugs and was convicted accordingly. The case of Prosecution was that Urum, who is resident at Lome, Togo, arrived at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) at about 2130 hours on March 14 2006 to board a Ghana International Flight to London. The Prosecution said Narcotic Control Board (NACOB) personnel, who were on duty, suspected him of carrying drugs and sent him to the 37th Military Hospital for an x-ray.
When Urum refused, he was arrested and placed under observation. While under interrogation, he confessed to swallowing 70 pellets of cocaine.
He claimed to have received the drugs from one Assa to be delivered to one Ben in London for a fee of 2,000 pounds sterling. In another development, the Tribunal also sentenced an Ivorian seamstress to 10 years=92 imprisonment with hard labour for importing and possessing cocaine wrapped in 50 pellets. Margaret Zehoum Dagrou had pleaded not guilty but the Tribunal found her guilty.
The Prosecution=92s case was that on March 29, 2004, Dagrou arrived at Kotoka International Airport on board an Emirates Flight from Karachi, Pakistan.
NACOB officials on duty at KIA suspected her of carrying drugs due to her strange behaviour and demeanour. She was invited and quizzed but she refused to answer some questions. The Prosecution said Dagrou was, therefore, sent to the Police Hospital for an examination which revealed that she had swallowed 50 pellets of cocaine.
According to Dagrou, she was to deliver the drugs to a man she did not know. 5
