Cop: I didn't take details of colleague who sought help to arrest suspects

Accra, Dec. 12, GNA - A Police officer on Tuesday told an Accra Fast Track High Court that he did not take detailed particulars of a colleague, who sought assistance at the Kpone Police Station to arrest suspects, who were offloading parcels of cocaine from MV Benjamin vessel.

"I did not take any particulars of Lance Corporal Dwamena Yabson since he declared himself as a Policeman and showed me his identity card," General Police Sergeant Charles Manu said. 0 General Sergeant Manu, formerly stationed at Kpone, was answering questions under cross-examination in a case in which three of his colleagues are being held for allegedly allowing Asem Dake, alias Sheriff, to cart 75 parcels of cocaine from MV Benjamin into a vehicle at Kpone, near Tema.

He said due to the urgency of the matter, he released two Policemen to assist in the arrest of the suspects.

General Sergeant David Nyarko, Detective Lance Corporal Dwamena Yabson and General Lance Corporal Peter Bondorin are being held on charges of prohibited business and corruption by public officer. They pleaded not guilty to the charge and the Court remanded them into Police custody to reappear on December 13.

A fourth Policeman, Detective Sergeant Samuel Amoah, is on the run. He jumped bail after an Accra Regional Tribunal granted bail to him and his accomplices.

Another witness, Detective Corporal Edward Yaw Asante said the Police had information that a vessel approaching Ghana on the high seas was carrying a large quantity of narcotic drugs.

He said personnel from the Police, Ghana Navy and Air Force monitored the movement of the vessel until it landed at the Tema Port. Detective Corporal Asante said when they conducted a search, they found a slab and opened it in the presence of all members of the team and counted the number of parcels in it.

He said they counted 30 pieces and thy tested positive for narcotics. They sent them to the Ghana Standard Board (GSB) to be tested where they also proved positive.

The case of the Prosecution is that in the earlier hours of April 26 2006, MV Benjamin arrived on the high seas off Tema. The vessel was carrying 77 parcels of cocaine imported by one Sheriff Asem Dake. Soon after the vessel arrived, the parcels of cocaine were offloaded unto two canoes, which sailed to Kpone Beach, near Tema. Some fishermen, who spotted the canoes, became suspicious and called the owner of the canoes.

The owner of the canoes and others informed Sergeant Amoah, who was stationed at Tema Newtown. He in turn mobilized the other accused persons and they proceeded to the Kpone Beach.

At the beach, the accused persons looked on until Asem Dake offloaded the drugs into a four-wheel vehicle. The accused persons then followed the vehicle to Tema where Dake gave them some money and they failed to arrest him.