Brother of Asem Dake in court on drugs charges

Accra, May 10, GNA - An Accra Fast Track High Court on Thursday adjourned the case involving Evans Charwetey Tsekobi, a brother of Sheriff Asem Dake, who is allegedly behind the missing 76 parcels of cocaine on board the MV Benjamin vessel.

Tsekobi, whose plea was not taken, was remanded in police custody to reappear on May 29. Tsekobi is charged with laundering proceeds from a narcotic drug offence.

Mr William Pobi, Senior State Attorney, prayed the court, presided over by Mrs Iris Brown to allow prosecution two more weeks to complete its investigations. This, the court obliged.

Though the facts were not read in court, the charge sheet indicated that Tsekobi on September 27, 2006 parked a Toyota Land Cruiser belonging to his brother Asem Dake in his house. The charge sheet said Tsekobi covered the vehicle with a tarpaulin with the intent to conceal it, knowing that his brother was being wanted for crimes involving cocaine. It said the accused "had reasonable knowledge that the said vehicle was indirectly obtained as a result of the commission of a narcotic drug offence".

The police had said Asem Dake allegedly carted the cocaine from the beach in his vehicle. At one of the cocaine trials the prosecution had said that in the early hours of April 26, last year, MV Benjamin arrived on the high seas of Tema.

The vessel was carrying 77 parcels of cocaine imported by Sheriff Asem Dake. Soon after the vessel arrived, the parcels of cocaine were offloaded unto two canoes, which sailed to Kpone Beach, near Tema. Some fishermen who spotted the canoes became suspicious and called the owner of the canoes.

The owner of the canoes and others informed a police Sergeant who was stationed at Tema Newtown who in turn mobilized the other policemen and proceeded to Kpone Beach.

At the beach, the accused persons looked on until Asem Dake offloaded the drugs into a four-wheel vehicle. The accused persons then followed the vehicle to Tema where Dake gave them some money for which they failed to arrest him. 10 May, 07