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General News of Thursday, 22 June 2006

Source: The Independent

Ghanaians in high places involved in cocaine business

Cocaine money leaving in bits to Colombian drug baron

Investigations by the Independent, corroborated by information from police sources have uncovered a shocking revelation of money laundering activities by some Ghanaians in high places whose moves are denting the image of Ghana and are frustrating efforts by the state authorities and the security agencies to fight the drug menace.

Scouts of The Independent have uncovered a convert pact entered into by some Ghanaian officials and a Colombian drug baron. Geraldo Vasques, by which pact those officials are secretly repatriating huge sums of foreign currency out of the country.

Snippets of information from unimpeachable sources indicate that some unscrupulous public and private officials have teamed up and are repatriating an amount of 34 million dollars to the cocaine magnate, Geraldo Vasques who absconded after a hound of cocaine stored in a house at East Legon had been detected by the police.

The investigations established that the officials (names withheld for now), are in collusion with the Colombian fugitive and are sending the money to him in bits for a fee.

The Independent can disclose that Geraldo Vasques and other members of his syndicate, as at the time of the detection of the cocaine stocks at East Legon, had already sold about 2,500 kilogrammes of cocaine to some of his clients in the country and bagged 46 million dollars from the streets.

Vasques according to sources, sold the cocaine, which the sources sold the cocaine, which the sources said costs about 15,000 dollars per kilogramme in Ghana to some interested persons both in Tema and Accra and other parts of the country.

The names of his clientele as sighted by The Independent indicated that some of them could probably be Spanish citizens who are also in the country to transact business in cocaine, while others bear English names, as the clients are only referred to by their first names.

Geraldo Vasques had no option than to leave the cocaine money behind when he bolted after the police, upon a tip-off, cordoned off his rented house at East Legon on November 24, 2005.

The operation, led by Superintendent Edward Tabiri uncovered about 588 kilogramme of cocaine hidden in the house, but the cocaine kin pin, Geraldo Vasques, was out of the house when the police arrived and thus managed to escape arrest.

The investigations established that, after he had taken to his heels, he later allegedly got in touch with his girlfriend, Grace Asebrei, and directed her as to what to do with the money he had left behind. The directive specified which agencies and people she should pay certain amounts to offset his (Vasques) indebtedness.

Sources close to the Police Headquarters confirmed the story when contacted and said, they are currently investigating that allegation and looking for the so called big men who are allegedly behind the laundering of the 34 million dollars to Geraldo Vasques.