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General News of Thursday, 17 June 2004

Source: GNA

I took pictures of the narcotic drugs - Witness

Accra, June 17, GNA - A Witness in the case in which five foreigners and a Ghanaian are accused of narcotic offences, told an Accra High Court on Thursday that he took photographs of the mirror behind which, a substance suspected to be a narcotic drug was concealed. He said the mirror was in a small corridor leading to the bedroom of one of the accused persons.

Mr Stephen Addo, a Photographer of the Narcotic Control Board, and the 10th Prosecution Witness (PW10) was giving his evidence-in-chief at the Court presided over by Mr Justice F. Kusi Appiah. The accused persons are Kevin Gorman, 59, an American; and Alan Hodson 45, David Logan 43, Frank Lavelrick 43, all British; Sven Herb, 45, a German; and Mohammed Ibrahim Kamil, a Ghanaian.

They are charged with conspiring and possessing narcotic drugs without authority.

Gorman, Herb and Kamil were additionally charged with importing narcotic drugs without licence while Gorman has an additional charge of using his premises for narcotic offence.

The accused persons, who have denied their involvement in the offence, are in custody and would reappear on June 22.

Mr Addo said he was part of the two teams, made up of the Narcotic Control Board and the Police that went to Gorman's residence at Community 10, Tema, on Wednesday, January 7, 2004 to search for narcotic drugs.

He said they met four white men in the house whom he listed as Gorman, Logan, Lavelrick and Herb.

Witness said he took pictures of substances concealed in a hole behind the mirror with the accused persons standing behind the substances, which were removed from the hole.

Witness said he further took pictures of how one of the packages was opened and a field test conducted on the substance in the package, which he said were later printed and kept in his custody. The 19 pictures, which were stamped with Narcotic Control Board logo and signed, were among those taken at the Standard Board when the drugs were sent for analysis. Witness finally tendered the photographs as exhibits.

There was no cross-examination by the Attorneys for the accused persons.

Mr Thaddeus Sory; Mr Owusu Fodjour; Mr Addo Attuah and Mr Kwabla Dogbe Senano are representing the accused persons, while Mr Anthony Gyambiby, Chief State Attorney, represents the State.