'Burger' jailed 10 years for swallowing 50 pellets cocaine

Accra, July 17, GNA - A 50-year-old auto mechanic from Bekwai in the Ashanti Region, who swallowed 50 pellets of cocaine, in order to export the drug to someone in London for a fee of 2,000 US Dollars, was on Tuesday sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment in had labour by an Accra Regional Tribunal.

Kofi Osei Boateng was charged with possessing narcotic drug without lawful authority. During investigations, he admitted the act. The Ghana Standards Board's analysis of the whitish substance, which proved positive for cocaine, a narcotic drug, had a total weight of 497.4 grams.

Before pronouncing the sentence, Mr Alfred Adjei Mensah, Counsel for Boateng, pleaded with the tribunal to consider that his client had left behind four children, the youngest being two-and-a-half years. Counsel craved the indulgence of the judge, Mr Justice Frank Manu to note that his client was a first offender and that he was an ignorant person who had been lured into the act.

"My Lord, I pray that the period (since 2005) that my client was placed in custody, be taken into consideration when sentencing him."

Mr. Augustines Obour, an Attorney from the Attorney General's Department, who presented the facts, said on August 27, 2005, Boateng a Ghanaian based in Hanover, Germany arrived at the Kotoka International Airport to board British Airways flight to London.

Mr Obour said while Boateng was going through departure formalities, personnel for the Narcotics Control Board on duty at the airport, suspected him of carrying narcotic drug in his stomach. The prosecutor said Boateng was escorted to the 37 Military Hospital for X-ray examination, which proved that there was foreign material in his stomach and therefore the personnel from the Narcotics Control Board and the police arrested him.

Boateng was placed under observation and he expelled 50 whitish pellets.

During interrogation, he admitted the offence and said one Boakye gave the drug to him to be delivered to an unnamed person in London for a fee of 2,000 US dollars.

He said the convict failed to assist the police to apprehend Boakye.