Cocaine case drags on

Accra, Jan. 17, GNA - One of the three foreign crew members connected with the illegal importation of 77 parcels of cocaine on Wednesday told the Fast Track High Court that he was not a member of the crew.

He said he was innocent and knew nothing about the missing cocaine from the MV Benjamin/Adede Vessel.

Luo Yin Xing, 49, a sailor, told the Court that originally he was not part of the crew but he only went on board to eat but he was unfortunately arrested.

Mr Xing was arrested with four other crew members accused of carting cocaine in a vessel belonging to Mr Joseph Kojo Dawson. The crew are Pak Bok Sil, 46 year-old Korean Engineer; Isaac Arhin, a 49-year-old sailor; Philip Kobina Bruce Arhin, a 47 year-old-mechanic; Cui Xing Li, a 44-year-old Chinese sailor, and Luo Yin Xing, a 49-year-old sailor.

Isaac Arhin, Philip Arhin, Cui and Luo are charged with possessing narcotic drugs without authority and engaging in prohibited business. Dawson, who is being held for using his property for narcotic offence, is facing the charge of engaging in prohibited business relating to narcotics.

All of them pleaded not guilty and are in Police custody. Mr Xing, who was answering questions under cross-examination, through an interpreter, vehemently insisted that he knew nothing about the content of the parcels and that he was invited to be a cook in the vessel and nobody in the vessel told him anything as to whether there was something of that nature on board and that "it is the imagination of the Prosecution Witness that I am a member of the crew". But Prosecution Witness Police Sergeant Edward Asante insisted that, "it is not correct" and that Xing was one of the crew, who went to the high seas to take the stuff.

Sgt Asante said it was Xing, the sixth accused person, who led the combined team from the Narcotics Control Board, the Navy and the Police to retrieve the exhibits.

Sgt Asante said the stuff was meant for their salary as their share but Cui Xing Li, 44, Chinese Sailor, the fifth accused person said he had no idea about the parcel as their salary.

Another Prosecution Witness Kingsley James Inkoom, a Sailor, told the Court that he had worked with Dashment Shipping Company for one-and-a-half years as a cook in the MV Bejamin Vessel until he lost his wife that he came ashore and was paid off.

Mr Inkoom said he was not working after the funeral of his late wife and that it was on March 6 2006 that he had an urgent call from Arhin, the third accused person, that there was a job for him so he should come to Takoradi.

Mr Inkoom said he set off the next day and met Arhin at the main Takoradi Harbour in a fishing trawler.

Senior State Attorney William Pobi asked him what transpired there. Mr Inkoom answered; "they were chipping and painting that is they scraped the rusted place and painted it".

He said the following day after they had eaten their launch the Chief Engineer introduced Xing to him that he had come to join him to cook in the kitchen.

He said the Chief Engineer told him that he would test the engine and sail to Tema.

Having sailed for two weeks and not reaching Tema, Mr Inkoom said, he asked the Engineer where there were going?

It was there that he saw a small boat coming towards them and they started throwing in some packages into our ship.

Mr Inkoom said the packages were bagged like a carton of fish and wrapped in a sack.

They were later asked to pack the items into the hatch and when he asked Arhin about the contents of the sacks and their quantity Arhin replied that they were 77 but he did not tell him about the content. Mr Inkoom said after three weeks they got to Tema breakwaters at 0130 hours.

Mr Pobi; what happened there?

Mr Inkoom said they anchored and he went to bed. But while sleeping he heard an unusual noise and "I saw a canoe and the people had entered our vessel and packed the things we have packed into the boat". During the process "I saw another canoe going round ours and the people holding guns, I saw our Engineer and the Captain holding guns but not pointing it out".

Mr Pobi: What were they using the guns for?

Mr Inkoom: To protect themselves. They took the goods and the canoe left".

He said after they had eaten the following day at 1700 hours "I asked the Chief Engineer what exactly the people came to take from our vessel, and he told me that it was cocaine".

Mr Inkoom said the next day, a Naval Boat came around their vessel and ordered them to hands-up and they searched the vessel and found that the hatch was locked and Philip, the fourth accused person used a hammer to open it and they found a box like a carton of fish which was one of the items they received from the high seas.

He mentioned that it was Mr Ben Ndeigo, who brought it up, opened and tested it. It was found to be cocaine and he re-bagged it like a video deck cassette, put each on a scale and each weighed one kilogram. They were 30 pieces and he took them away.

He Inkoom mentioned, Ben, Asante and Addai as the three people, who came back and took their statements.

They left us under the guard of the Navy for a week and later we were taken to the Police Headquarters. The case was adjourned to January 24.