Mills NDC In Drug Trafficking Scandal

Sarpong, Justice

While we were busy watching the Atta Mills and Nana Konadu Agyeman fracas going on in the NDC Presidential race, a very important and damaging news about NDC and our country sneaked through the forum without attracting the scrutiny it deserves. I am talking about the Mills administration dealing drugs through the diplomatic bags. When wikileaks leaked information about this administration drug dealing, Ghanaians pooh-pooh the news as not important because we have been made to believe Mills and his NDC are not into drug dealing and since NPP is not in power, the drug menace is a thing of the past despite Mills even admitting some of his administration members might be using the V.IP lounge at Kotoka International Airport and the diplomatic pouch to facilitate its drug dealings.

When President Mills told the nation he suspects some of his aides to be in the drug business, was he speaking because of some information he had at the time without going into details? Patrick Jojo Mercer Former Commercial Attaché, Ghana High Commission, Australia about a week ago revealed in the forum that,'in August 2010 British Customs officers and Police intercepted a parcel of yams at the Kent International Airport in London,United Kingdom upon close examination, the tubers of yam was found to be containing cocaine at a street value of 200,000 pounds, the bag incidentally had a diplomatic tache to it with Ghana’s coat of arms.' Folks, our national emblem is now being used as a stamp to transport illegal drugs from Ghana to Europe and USA by this administration. Did we hear anything from the usual big mouths in this administration denying this information? Where was Ablakwah, Baba Jamal and others when we needed them to quash this information? When you expect President Mills to condemn this canker destroying the image of our country in his usual spiritual high dudgeon, he goes stone silent.

Who has the privilege to put the emblem of our country as a stamp to smuggle drugs out of our country? In the case above that happened in August 2010, the individual who was arrested, is alleged to be a close confidante of one Mr Nii Lantei Vanderpuiye, special Assistant to the President of Ghana, President Mills. How did the friend of a Presidential Aide manage to smuggle drugs through the Diplomatic bags if this administration is not in cahoot with drug smugglers? Where did President Mills get his deputy Ministers and Presidential Aides with dubious characters from? If this was just the only case, we would have 'chalked' it off as an anomally but this is a norm in this administration and this President has closed his eyes and covered his ears to it.

Another arrest occurred at Manila Airport in Philippines where somebody close to this administration name was mentioned.Professor John Evans Atta Mills had second thoughts and misgivings about the modus operandi of some of his aides. The individual involved name has been mentioned and passed on to the Ghanaian security agencies. Such is the scandalous nature of this case the President has been pressured to take action.

"This is not the first time that cases of this nature have gone unnoticed by the security agencies. There are rumours that some senior members of the ruling National Democratic congress have taken over where the New Patriotic Party, heavily criticised for not doing much to stop the drug trade left off."

It is alleged that,'In order not to get detected, they have moved operations to Guinea Bissau, a country declared a narcotic state by the United Nations. Intelligence sources have confirmed that these members have set up a processing factory outside the capital, Bissau and are trafficking the product to Europe with the support of South American drug barons based there. It is to their luck and a blessing that one of their contacts is a minister at the Ghanaian health ministry and a person with known connections to South American drug cartels. Yet no action has been taken against this person!

Who is this person? Rojo Nunoo who is a deputy at the Health ministry was previously accused of being the middleman for the Venezuela drug dealers in Ghana when he used his second hand women underwear importation business as a front to launder money and traffic drugs for drug dealers. How can such a man be appointed to such a position if his services as a drug courier is not needed by this administration to facilitate its drug dealings?

NDC is playing psychological games with Ghanaians when it comes to drug trafficking. This party has been financing its activities through drug trafficking and other illegal activities. In 1996 when Frank Benneh was arrested in Switzerland, he was alleged to have told the authorities there that, he was dealing drugs for the NDC administration at that time led by Rawlings. The NDC administration at that time whisked Benne from Switzerland to Ghana and instead of putting him in jail rather housed him at Liberty Court Hotel at the tax payers expense, and was later to be moved into state lodgings instead of being sent to jail. The proceeds from Benneh's drug deals was used to buy arms for the NDC controlled militia. Some of the arms purchased from the drug sales were on display by the militia during the military parade to mark the the third anniversary of the Fourth Republic.

Our drug problem in the country and the bad image we have internationally as a drug hub should be blamed on NDC because we achieved the position of a number one drug trafficking country during the NDC administration. This is what one Professor Patrick Addy, a deputy Sports and Youth Minister said in 1999.

General News of Tuesday, 30 November 1999 Source: Ghanaian Chronicle "Ghana rated No.1 in Drug Trafficking" - Prof Addy

Accra - Ghana has become number one among African countries in narcotic drugs trafficking. This was disclosed by the Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports, Professor Patrick Addy, at the opening ceremony of a two-day workshop on "eradicating streetism in the next millennium"

Folks, these are facts and not myths. NDC in order to cover its own drug dealings used Amoateng's case to hide its own record but a thief cannot change his character just by pointing an accusing finger at another thief. NDC is a drug cartel and the drug issue confronting Mills and his administration is not a foofaraw that can be swept under the rug.'One is tempted to say that the current Ghanaian government led by President Mills is failing to learn lessons from previous governments failure to tackle drug trafficking from within its own structures. Our security agencies must be up and doing and do their job without fear or favour'.

Justice Sarpong

Houston, TX.