Goodies to open defence

Accra, Nov. 20, GNA - Isaac Abeiku Aidoo, alias Goodies, a music producer who is being held for expelling 80 pellets of cocaine would on November 26 open his defence.

The court, presided over Mr Mahamadu Iddrisu fixed the date after prosecution, through Detective Sergeant Hans Addai, the Investigator, tendered the 80 pellets in evidence and closed its case. Aidoo, charged with attempted exportation of 80 pellets of drugs suspected to be cocaine and possessing narcotic drug without lawful authority, has pleaded not guilty. He has been remanded into prison custody.

Meanwhile the court has ordered the destruction of the 79 pellets with one left to be used for evidential purposes. Led in evidence by Mr. Paul Asibi Abarigah, an Assistant State Attorney, Detective Sergeant Addai, who is attached to the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB), said on April 23, at about 11:00pm, Goodies was brought to his office by the Board's operatives on duty at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA). He said the operatives said Goodies had arrived at KIA to board a Ghana International Airlines flight to London but was picked up on suspicion that he had some foreign materials in his stomach. Sergeant Addai said the operatives further told him that they had sent Goodies to the 37 Military Hospital for an ex-ray, which turned out that he had some foreign materials in his stomach. The investigator said he put Goodies under surveillance for two days and he expelled 80 pellets of narcotic drugs suspected to be cocaine. According to Sergeant Addai, he sealed the drugs in a brown envelope in the presence of Goodies and independent witness and forwarded it to the Ghana Standards Board (GSB) after they all appended their signatures. He said, he took two investigation caution statements from the accused on April 23, and April 25, 2008 in the presence of an independent witness.

Sergeant Addai who is the fifth prosecution witness, after tendering the two investigation caution statements, further identified a document containing records of the number of pellets expelled. Mr Oliver Atsu, counsel for Goodies, however, objected to it saying one could not say whether or not Mr Francis Quarshie, an independent witness, saw the accused expel all the 80 pellets. On the documents, Mr Quarshie had signed against his name that he witnessed the accused expel 19 of the pellets of cocaine. The court, however, overruled his objection. Sergeant Addai said when he asked Goodies who gave him the drugs, he mentioned one Abdul Hamid, a musician resident at East Legon as the source. According to Goodies, he was to deliver them to one "Willie" based in the United Kingdom for a fee of 3,000 pounds sterling. NACOB operatives could not trace Abdul Hamid, DS Addai said. Sergeant Addai said he later received a report, which confirmed that the 80 pellets of narcotics drugs expelled by Goodies were cocaine. The investigator said he was therefore instructed to charge Goodies to be arraigned.

The court after examining the drugs admitted them in evidence and ordered the immediate destruction in the presence of defence counsel, the court registrar as well as court clerks and the media. During cross-examination by Mr Atsu, Sergeant Addai said Goodies expelled the drugs through his anus. Sergeant Addai said he could not establish whether the pellets were narcotic drugs or not before he sent them to GSB for examination. The investigator admitted that he was not present when the drugs were examined at GSB.

The case, as presented earlier by the prosecution, was that on April 23 Aidoo arrived at the Kotoka International Airport at about 2245 hours to board a Ghana International Airlines flight to London. The prosecution said while going through departure formalities, operatives of the Narcotics Control Board suspected Aidoo of carrying drugs in his stomach. Aidoo was therefore escorted to the 37 Military Hospital for an x-ray examination, which revealed that he had some foreign materials in his stomach. He was arrested and put under surveillance and he expelled 80 pellets of whitish substances suspected to be cocaine.