When Cocaine Was Seen In Party Colours

By Patricia Otchwemah

On November 10, 2014 a lady with multiple names and nationality was arrested at the Heathrow Airport, London for carrying about 12.5kg of cocaine into the United Kingdom (UK).

Nayele Ametefeh, Ruby Adu Gyamfi, Ruby Appiah, Irene Tawiah or Angel are all applicable names and refer to the same person. She is certainly not the first person to smuggle the banned white substance into the UK neither is she a champion in the business. She is but another donkey that facilitates the movement of narcotics from one place to another. To say she was used by her paymasters may be pushing it too far since Ruby, Nayele, Irene, Angel; Nayele for now has acquired millions of cedi worth landed properties all over Accra and in other parts of the country including Pease her hometown.

Although Nayele is not the first Ghanaian to come close to bringing the banned substance into the UK the circumstance and drama of her being the courier and the manner of transport opens a Pandora's box every Ghanaian will love to see the bottom of.

A ‘commoner’ like myself, Nayele had access to and used the VIP lounge of the Kotoka International Airport, otherwise normally reserved for prominent persons, on her trip in the company of two other friends. News initially had it that she used the VVIP lounge but this was roundly and quickly debunked by the Minister of Communication. Call it the VVIP or VIP lounge, a directive had come from some influential person that this lady deserved a roll out of the red carpet and all pre-departure curtsies at the airport, and where else to begin than in the VVIP or VIP lounge.

As Nayele now whiles away ‘business’ time in detention the leading opposition National Patriotic Party (NPP) has finally found golden opportunity to confer on the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) the title of ‘cocainist party’ which was once its accolade or albatross for close to a decade during which it was euphemistically renamed the ‘narcotics people party’ by detractors. It was subsequent to an arrest in the United States of Eric Amoateng, then an NPP sitting Member of Parliament (MP) for Nkoranza North, for illegal possession of 136 pounds of heroin found buried in a cargo containing seven boxes of pottery that Amoateng and an ally had gone to inspect after delivery at an American Self Storage location on November 12, 2005. Nayele is of course not an MP let alone an NDC sitting member, but the equalization is on course.

Very early on in the brouhaha surrounding her arrest the ‘Cocaine Lady’ was described as a close friend of the first family of homeland Ghana, but the allegation or rumour was soon found to be without an iota of truth. As if this was not enough the MP for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong came out to identify Nayele as a girlfriend of Ibrahim Mahama, brother of the sitting President and a known financier of the NDC. Ibrahim who probably did not analyse critically the words used in making that claim came out quickly to say he is not a cocaine dealer as if someone said he was.

A controversial person like Kennedy Ohene Agyapong will even interprete the snore of a ghost; he actually came out to dare Ibrahim to be man about what he professed as he is ready to go down the gutters with him. Ibrahim Mahama listened to wise counsel to draw his tail in between his hind legs like a timid dog. After all every man is a man but not every man needs to show anything to prove his manhood.

More baffling were reports that the MP of Nayele’s constituency in Accra had gone to visit and console the family in their time of crisis. If the VVIP or VIP treatment at the airport was not enough red carpet then this was it. How could I think she was a ‘commoner’ like myself? It leaves one with the arduous task of configuring the reasons or justifications of this rather unusual kind gesture of the honourable lawmaker. Could it be that the MP is just a family friend of the Ametefes?

But then again, news also filtered through that the Foreign Minister visited Nayele in her UK cell. How come I mused? Before I could say Jack further news reports suggested that officials of the Ghana High Commission in the UK also visited Nayele and were following the trial proceedings closely even though the cocaine angel is said to have traveled from Kotoka International Airport on an Austrian passport.

I cannot imagine the thickness of shame these misguided politicians, not just the cocaine peddler, have heaped on the faces of well meaning Ghanaians out there and at home.

The Government of the day has become restless since Nayele was busted. The Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) has been dissolved. The Director at the Foreign Affairs ministry and other suspects including one Alhaji Dawood Mohammed, the person whose phone call reportedly paved way for Nayele to use the VVIP/VIP lounge have been arrested.

Some sources allege that Alhaji Dawood Mohammed is a businessman and contractor and was awarded a contract in the construction of the Flagstaff House under the erstwhile President Kufour administration. He has also been identified as once upon a time financier of the NPP albeit this has been vehemently denied by spokespersons of the party. A new twist quickly emerged that the same Alhaji Dawood founded the 'Zongo for Mahama' group, which canvassed votes for the President during the 2012 general elections.

Meanwhile, the activities and engagements of Nayele prior to her arrest have become a topic of interest to every Ghanaian.

About two months ago the 'cocaine angel' was spotted among high profile guests at the wedding ceremony of popular broadcaster Kofi Okyere Darko (KOD) and his partner Ophelia Crossland. Being a journalist at the pro-NDC Radio Gold and having the likes of James Agyenim Boateng, former Deputy Information Minister currently at the presidency and Raymond Archer Editor-in-Chief of the pro-NDC Enquirer newspaper as colleagues it comes as no surprise to see the wife of the Vice President, Matilda Amissah-Arthur, former Minister and NDC legal brain, Tsatsu Tsikata and son of the late President Mills gracing such once in a lifetime event. Luminaries of the opposition NPP did not miss out either. The likes of Nana Bediatuo and Mike Ocquaye Jnr and a tall list of the crème de la crème of the entertainment fraternity answered the roll call. A side attraction was Sandra Ankobiah whose extravagant lifestyle has become the most talked about in showbiz lately.

As they say in America, we probably ‘ain’t seen nothing yet’. More scandals are likely to unveil in relation to Nayele’s export of the white substance of the equivalent weight of a quarter of Ghacem’s cement bag. Until then it seems obvious that the export of narcotics is thriving business under the cover of political colours. It just breaks my heart to watch Kwame Nkrumah’s and Kofi Annan’s Ghana and the good name of this prestigious nation dragged in muddy drugs.

At the end of the day, who stands the risk of being denied visas to other nations abroad? Who will be subjected to harassment and unwarranted surveillance on arrival in foreign countries? Who stands the risk of having his or her farm produce and artifacts banned from entering the world market? It is the ordinary Ghanaian for whom party colours have no meaning.

Just thinking aloud!

The writer is a Ghanaian ‘commoner’ in love with her country