NACOB denies BBC story

The Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) on Thursday denied a BBC story, which stated that the January 7 cocaine bust in Tema was a UK-led international law enforcement operation.

Col. Isaac Akuoku, Executive Secretary of NACOB, in an interview with the GNA, said although there was intelligence collaboration between the two countries, the arrest was effected by NACOB with the assistance of the Ghana Police Service.

"With drug related issues a lot of countries collaborate to be able to make an arrest and intercept the drugs involved," he said, adding, that intelligence organisations need each other, but it is not fair to give credit to where it did not belong.

NACOB on Wednesday busted Kevin Gorman, 59-year-old American citizen, with 674 kilos of narcotics drug suspected to be cocaine at his Tema Community 11 residence.

The cocaine the largest consignment that NACOB has ever accosted since its establishment in Ghana and also believed to be the biggest in Africa was estimated to have a street value of 14 million dollars. With respect to the value, Col Akuoku said the street value in the UK was far higher than in Ghana and he could, therefore, not dispute the value quoted by the BBC.

The BBC priced the seized drug at 80 million pounds. Col. Akuoku was emphatic that 674 kilograms of cocaine was seized and not a ton and described the BBC report as an exaggeration. He said the cocaine would be destroyed on Friday.

NACOB was processing the suspects for court when the GNA visited their offices in Accra.

They are Alan Hodson, 45; david logan, 43; and Frank Lavelrick, all British nationals. Sven Herb, 45, a German and two Ghanaians, David Ahulu, 52, Managing Director and Alfred Barnes, Director, both of Tuna-To-Go Limited.

The BBC on Thursday reported that a UK-led international law operation resulted in the seizure of a ton of cocaine in a raid on a villa in the suburb of Accra when indeed the seizure took place in Tema Community 11 and was an all-Ghanaian affair.