Police commander warns foreigners

Hohoe, April 1, GNA-Mr Kofi Adei-Akyeampong, Hohoe Divisional Police Commander has warned foreign nationals especially Jamaicans, who are financiers in the cultivation of cannabis in commercial quantities to desist from their nefarious activities or face the rigours of the law.

He said these foreign nationals with their Ghanaian collaborators have cropped large plantations of cannabis extensively in the northern part of the Volta region for both local and international trade and consumption.

Mr Adei-Akyeampong disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency in an interview after a team of Policemen on Tuesday concluded the destruction of the over 80 acres cannabis plantation at Kpota near Akplamafu in the Hohoe Municipality.

Police had to re-mobilize more personnel to destroy the vast plantation after a swoop, which led to the arrest of seven people including a Liberian national, last week and they could only manage to destroy six acres. He said public co-operation in volunteering information on the activities of growers of cannabis in the area has been overwhelming and commended the efforts of members of the public in the search-and-destroy operation.

Mr Adei-Akyeampong said weedicides were sprayed on the plants after slashing, making it unwholesome for consumption and safeguard against people who might want to harvest the stuff from the farms. He said surveillance would be deployed and any person or groups of people found with the commodity would be liable for prosecution and thanked the Hohoe branch of the Ghana Cocobod for making available its spraying guns for the exercise.

Meanwhile, the six suspects who were arrested on March 22, this year, in connection with the cultivation of cannabis at Kpota have been remanded into prison custody by a Hohoe Circuit Court, presided over by Mr Edward Apenkwa.

They were charged with the cultivation of the plant for narcotic purposes contrary to Section 4 sub-section 1 of PNDC Law 236/90. Their plea were not taken and were billed to re-appear on April 17, this year. They are Raphael Atuwo, 35; Wisdom Azameti, 17; Enoch Deti, 15; Kwasi Abror, 14; Samuel Tenu, 14 and Say Sorry, 26, alias Maxwell, the Liberian.