Court remands three policemen in cocaine case in custody

Accra, Nov. 30, GNA - An Accra Fast Track High Court on Thursday remanded into custody three policemen who were alleged to have allowed Sheriff Asem Dake to cart 75 parcels of cocaine from MV Benjamin into two canoes at Kpone, near Tema.

They are General Sergeant David Nyarko, Detective Lance Corporal Dwamena Yabson and General Lance Corporal Peter Bondorin. A fourth policeman, Detective Sergeant Samuel Amoah is on the run. He jumped bail after an Accra Regional Tribunal granted to him and his accomplices bail.

Nyarko, Yabson and Bondorin are now being held on charges of prohibited business and corruption by public officer. They pleaded not guilty and the court remanded them into custody to reappear on December 4.

Earlier, Mr Musah Ahmed who represented Nyarko and Bondorin prayed for bail saying his clients had been in custody for four months. He said the accused persons had done their work diligently and the state only wanted to use them as scapegoats. Mr Ahmed, who held brief for Yabson said the suspect was a patient of the Cardiothracic Centre of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital who needed regular checkups. However, since his arrest he had only sent there on only two occasions.

Mr Agyeman Duodu, a Principal State Attorney, said the prosecution was ready to commence the trial, adding "we have one of witnesses in court right now."

The court adjourned the matter to December 4. The prosecution said in the earlier hours of April 26, this year MV Benjamin arrived on the high seas of Tema.

The vessel was carrying 77 parcels of cocaine imported by one Sheriff Asem Dake. Soon after the vessel arrived, the parcels of cocaine were offloaded unto a 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 Sergeant Amoah who was stationed at Tema Newtown. He in turn mobilized the other accused persons and they proceeded to Kpone Beach.

At the beach, the accused persons looked on until Asem Dake offloaded them into a four-wheel vehicle.

The accused persons then followed the vehicle to Tema and Dake gave them some money and they failed to arrest him.