Officials at the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) Headquarters in Accra are tight-lipped on the outcome of investigations into the ownership and efficacy of a DAF truckload of drugs believed to have been smuggled into the country from Nigeria.
This is almost four weeks after the truck, UW 134 A, was impounded on the Accra Ada road on Monday 23 December 2002. Since then, the truck and the drugs have been at the CEPS Headquarters in Accra.
Sam Agudey, an Assistant Commissioner, Preventive Duties of CEPS, told the “Times” in an earlier interview that samples of the items had been sent to the Food and Drugs Board (FDB) for testing so as to establish the efficacy of the drugs after which full-scale investigations would be launched to determine the ownership and value of the drugs.
When the “Times” called the CEPS Commissioner yesterday for an update on the case, a secretary, who gave her name only as Annie, said that the Commissioner was at a meeting and could therefore not speak to us.
Another senior officer, Hammond, the Deputy Commissioner in charge of Finance and Administration, when contacted, said that he had no idea about investigations into the case. “I have not been updated. I will let my Public Relation Officer call you,” he said.
The PRO, Buamah-Darkoh, later called the “Times” to say that he was going to check on the matter and get back to the paper later. Buamah-Darkoh did call a few minutes later but said that Aggudey, who was in charge of the case, had gone to the airport and he (Buamah-Darkoh) “was not in any position to say anything about the case.”
“For now I am sorry I cannot give you any information since the officer in charge is not around,” he said.
Last week, the “Times” called the Executive Director of Food and Drugs Board (FDB), Van Ess, to find out whether his outfit had established the efficacy or otherwise of the drugs.
His response was, he was going top check it from the lady in control of the FDB Laboratory and give the “Times” a feedback. But has since not done so. Meanwhile, “Times” investigations have revealed that some of the CEPS officials and a “big man” are alleged behind the deal and are putting various mechanisms to prevent any leakage of any information on the case.
According to the investigations, the suspected officials have been meeting at a restaurant at North Kaneshie on how to go about the case. The situation is against the background of the recent sugar saga at the CEPS.
It is recalled that the Times” on Sunday 28 December 2002 published on its front page a story in which CEPS officials upon a tip-off impounded a DAF truckload of drugs on the Accra-Ada road. The owners and efficacy of the drugs, which were suspected to have been smuggled into the country from Nigeria, are yet to be established.
