Police Reject C20m Bribe From "Wee" Farmers

Police at Ashanti-Mampong on Friday rejected a 20- million-cedi bribe offer from four persons they arrested for cultivating about two hectares of Indian Hemp at Birim in the Sekyere West District of Ashanti.

The police gave the names of the suspects as Yaw Mensah, 48, Richard Kwame Adjei, 40, Ditus Dzaato, 27 and Mornemora Dzaato, 25. About 30 sacks of the leaves were seized from them while police destroyed the farm. The Ashanti Mampong Divisional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Mr Kwaku Opare-Addo told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that the suspects are in police custody and the police have invited officers of the Narcotic Control Board (NCB) to assist in investigations. Mr Opare-Addo said following a tip off, policemen from Nsuta were sent to the village, Birim and arrested the suspects.

He said the police led by the Mampong District Commander, Superintendent Peter Gyempe apprehended Yaw Mensah on the farm and they later arrested Richard, as the alleged co-owner of the farm. Mr Opare-Addo said the police also discovered that a yam farm bordering that of the two had Indian hemp planted among the food crops and investigations led to the arrest of Ditus and Mornemora for owning the other farm.

He said Mornemora denied any knowledge of the crop and said that the farm belongs to his senior brother, Ditus and in the process of investigations, the suspects attempted to bribe the police with 20 million cedis, which they rejected.