Cocaine Bust At Tema

A joint team of security agencies from Accra and Tema yesterday arrested three persons over their alleged role in the importation of over 15 slabs of a substance which tested positive for cocaine. The slabs of cocaine were found in a traveling duffel bag on top of 4000 boxes of yoghurt.

The operation led by ASP Adamu Seidu was undertaken by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), the Ministry of National Security, the Narcotic Control Board (NACOB) and the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS).

The three suspects are Michael Ayacht, a Greek national who is Managing Director of Market Direct, the company which imported the container, Mohammed Salami, a Lebanese and a certain Isaac Quansah, a clearing agent. Market Direct, is an affiliated company to CCTC, a rice-importing conglomerate off Spintex Road in Accra.

The substance, weighing 19.9 kilos with a street value of $17,000, was concealed in a 40-footer container with registration number 6646380 belonging to the shipping magnate, Mersk Line. According to a security source, the substance was tested in the presence of the suspects and found to be narcotic drugs, after which the substance and the suspects were transferred to the Police Headquarters where they are being held.

Daily Guide learnt yesterday that the security agencies had been on heightened alert after a tip-off that a vessel was approaching Ghana from Peru in Central America with illicit substance on board. A source close to Market Direct has however denied that the substance found in the container belonged to the company.

Speaking exclusively to the paper yesterday on the breaking news, the source said the allegations were part of attempts to tarnish the hard-won reputation of the company. He noted that the Group had been under attack for the last quarter of this year and they were even currently in court with a media house that had published a false story about them.

He clarified further that Market Direct Ltd most often imported all its goods through the internet, and the managing director under investigations does not even go to the port for clearance. As a matter of fact, yesterday was the first time the Managing Director went to the port when he was invited by the security agencies. As company policy, he defended, all goods were handled solely by the clearing agent and if Michael wanted to import an illicit item alongside the company's goods, he would likely have gone to the port himself.

“The Managing Director does not even know the supplier, Messrs Trading Company in person because all transactions have been via the internet. Details of all his transactions and communications with the supplier in question are available for all to see on his PC.”

Narrating the sequence of events, the sources said yesterday, Michael was invited to the port by the security officers and Customs. He went there boldly and willingly. Had he known about this item in the container, Michael would have run away immediately he heard that he was wanted at the port. He would not have gone there.

Accompanied by other officials of the company to Tema, they were shown a container loaded with their legitimate goods, but seated on the top of a stack of yoghourt was a traveling bag. The bag was the first thing one saw immediately one opened the container, he said, challenging, why was it not hidden but rather exposed like that? This is a complete frame-up, he concluded.

The customs officials alleged however that the bag contained an illicit product and upon examination, was found to be cocaine. The defender of Market Direct said they were shocked because ever since they’d been doing business in Ghana over for 10 years now, distributing their products throughout Africa, they had never been confronted with such a problem.

“The value of the cocaine they said was $17,000 in Ghana, while Finatrade Foundation, a charitable wing of the company, had over ¢3 billion provided annually for charitable services. Out of this it doles out scholarships to about 66 University students in Ghana,” he disclosed.

These students, he added, do their attachment courses with the company during vacations. This had been so over the past three years, and the students were available on the University campuses for all to verify from them whether they had been selling cocaine at the company during their internship or not, he contended.

President John Agyekum Kufuor first disclosed the news when he met with the Council of State at the Castle, Osu, yesterday, Sheilla Sackey reports. The President said the initial report he had from the security services was that the group had been working for quite a long time with a respectable front.

He said the security agencies were working behind the scene and in due course, the public would know more about the group and what they were up to, and appealed to all and sundry to cooperate with security agencies to tackle the problem of drug smuggling from all angles. He lamented and said what the nation had discovered so far was just the tip of an iceberg.

The meeting which lasted for an hour and was later held behind closed doors centered on the state of the economy, society, law and order and the international community. Briefing them on preparation towards the country’s Golden Jubilee Celebration, he said next year would be an action-choked one and the government was poised to tackle major issues from all angles, including the cocaine saga. Next year, he remarked, would be a landmark for the country because Ghana would be the honoured host to the Africa Union conference, which would offer her the privilege to host a number of Presidents.

Around the same time, he said Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General, would be kicking off the celebration of the 50-year jubilee with a lecture, and called on all Ghanaians to accord him a hero’s welcome when he arrived in the country. In the President’s observation, Ghana’s illustrious son had brought much honour to the country with the distinguished services he had offered the world over the past 10 years.

“Government thought he should be given the opportunity with a lecture on “Ghana at 50”. On the Dagbon issue, President Kufuor admitted that the issue was hanging like the proverbial sword of Damocles, noting that the remarks made by Prof Adjei Bekoe, Chairman of the Council of State, for both gates to respect the road map for peace was timely. He posited that realisation of the first stage of the road map should compel the follow-up steps without any hindrance.

Consequently, he challenged the Council to advise the government on how to tackle the issue effectively once and for all. President Kufuor pointed out that government had worked hard over the years, with its remarkable successes being acknowledged worldwide. However, he conceded, “we are nowhere near the realisation of our vision.”

On sanitation, President Kufuor described the issue as sad news and a hard fact which left so much to be desired of the State. While government was working feverishly on modern technology to tackle the issue, he urged that everyone should clean their own environment.

On the issue of load shedding arising from the failure of rainfall to maintain hydro electricity generation and the inability to generate enough thermal electricity, President Kufuor said it was unfortunate and made a passionate appeal to Ghanaians to be patient with the system. The President used the occasion to commend the Council of State for offering effective advice to the nation. Earlier, Professor Adjei- Bekoe commended the government for maintaining economic stability in the face of the frightening hike in oil prices.

Government, he maintained, had secured for the nation positive indications of support which if conscientiously followed up, could bring the much needed relief, both in the short and medium terms. Describing the offer from the Chinese government to support the construction of the Bui dam to strengthen the energy security as ‘welcome news,’ Professor Adjei-Bekoe called for appropriate follow-up action to realise this goal. The chairman of the council of state viewed the invitation extended to the President by the Queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as an example of the recognition of the positive image of the nation.

Concluding, he urged Ghanaians to flee complacency and work even harder, not only towards the Ghana at 50 celebrations but to build as well, a strong state that would stand all kinds of weather in the future.