Detective gives evidence in cocaine trial

Accra, March 27, GNA - Detective Inspector Justice Oppong on Tuesday told the Accra Fast Track Court hearing the case of the missing 77 parcels of cocaine on board MV Benjamin that the Captain of the crew ordered the change of the name of the vessel from Adede II to MV Benjamin.

"It was the Captain himself that painted the new name since I challenged him that I cannot do it"... this was stated in the caution statement of one of the accused persons Philip Kobina Bruce Arhin, the second-in-command of the crew.

Detective Inspector Oppong, the seventh Prosecution Witness to testify in the case so far, identified all the accused persons suspected to have carted the cocaine to Tema as the crew that was arrested on the MV Benjamin vessel last year.

They include Joseph Kojo Dawson, the owner of the vessel and Director of Dashment Fishing Company Limited.

Others are Pak Bok Sil, 46 year-old Korean Engineer; Isaac Arhin, 49-year-old sailor; Philip Kobina Bruce Arhin, 47 year-old-mechanic; Cui Xing Li, 44-year-old Chinese sailor, and Luo Yin Xing, a 49-year-old sailor.

Isaac Arhin, Philip Arhin, Cui and Luo are charged for possessing narcotic drugs without authority and engaging in prohibited business. Joseph Kojo Dawson, the owner of the vessel, who is being held for using his property for narcotic offence and Pak are facing the charge of engaging in prohibited business relating to narcotics. They have pleaded not guilty and are in Police custody.

Detective Inspector Oppong read two separates caution statements by four of the accused persons and said the first was taken when they were first arrested by a combined team of Officers of the Narcotics Control Board and the Ghana Navy at the Criminal Investigation Office. The second was when they were handed over to him to carry on with investigations in August 26, 2007.

According to him, there were some distortions in the first caution statements and that called for the second one. But Counsel for the second accused, Pak Bok Sil, Mr James Algalga objected to the tendering in of the statement saying, it was not written by his client because his client does not speak and understand the English language.

Detective Inspector Oppong however, told the court that the second caution statement had a Korean interpreter to explain it to him. Reading the caution statements of the third and fourth accused persons, the Arhins, it run through that the Chief Engineer and the Captain of the vessel threatened to kill them by pulling guns at them when they asked where the vessel was heading for since they were initially told that the vessel was sailing to Tema for repairs. The captain said they were going to collect some goods on the high seas.

He said they spent eight days on the sea when all of a sudden a small fishing canoe with no registration number came around to throw items wrapped in sacks and black polythene bags.

The items were later packed into another fishing trawler with about 15 people dressed like fisherman leaving only one behind.

Detective Inspector Oppong said they spent 20 days on the high seas before the arrival at the Tema break waters where the captain change the name after they refused his orders to do it.

The charge sheet states that on February 6, 2006 Dawson, who is also a businessman, indirectly without lawful authority and with the intention of facilitating an enterprise relating to narcotic drugs, allowed one Asem Dake a.k.a. Sheriff to use his vessel (MV Benjamin/MV Adede) to import 77 parcels each containing 30 kilograms of cocaine into the country without license issued by the Minister of Health. Pak is also said to have repaired the MV Benjamin vessel to facilitate the transportation of the 77 parcels of cocaine from Takoradi to Tema.

Isaac, Philip, Cui and Luo, who were on board the MV Benjamin vessel, on April 27, 2006, allegedly had in their possession one parcel each, containing 30 slabs of cocaine, weighing about one kilogram. The case was adjourned to April 16.