A Circuit Court in Tema has sentenced two police officers to a combined 13 years in prison after finding them guilty of unlawful possession of narcotic drugs and conspiracy to traffic the substances. The ruling followed nearly four years of criminal proceedings.
The court, presided over by Her Lordship Aleanor Kakra Barnes Botchway, convicted Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Nasiru Amadu and Corporal Emmanuel Mintah after prosecutors established their direct involvement in transporting large quantities of Indian hemp.
How the Case Unfolded
Prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ernest Kuofie, told the court that the case began in 2023 when a police officer at the Afienya District Police Command filed a complaint about the suspicious activities of the two officers.
At the time, Amadu, 48, served as the second-in-command at the Sakumono District Police Headquarters, while Mintah, 43, worked under him as a service driver.
On November 19, 2023, the complainant was on snap-check duties when intelligence indicated that a Nissan Navara with registration number GP 727 was transporting narcotics from Ho to Accra.
Around 7:15 p.m. that same day, the accused officers arrived at the checkpoint in the said vehicle and were intercepted.
A search of the truck uncovered eight sacks containing 541 compressed parcels of substances suspected to be narcotic drugs.
Investigations and Findings
Further investigations linked Mintah to a relative known as “Oluman,” a narcotics dealer based in Ashaiman Tulaku. Prosecutors established that on the day of the arrest, Mintah had been hired by Oluman to move a quantity of Indian hemp from Peki Tsibu in the Volta Region to Tulaku for a fee. Mintah then contacted Amadu, who subsequently negotiated directly with the dealer.
The court heard that the officers drove the police-branded vehicle, GP 727, from Sakumono to a forested area near Peki Tsibu, where they received the consignment from a waiting Benz bus. Their arrest occurred while they were transporting the drugs to their final destination. It also emerged that this was the second time the officers had undertaken such an operation.
The Forensic Crime Laboratory later confirmed the nature of the seized substances.
Verdict and Sentencing
Her Lordship Botchway held that the officers unlawfully possessed narcotic drugs for the purpose of trafficking, contrary to Section 23(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960, and Section 37(2)(b) of the Narcotic Control Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1019).
ASP Amadu and Cpl. Mintah received sentences of 10 years and 5 years imprisonment, respectively, to run concurrently. The court additionally imposed a fine of 10,000 penalty units—equivalent to GH₵120,000. In default, each convict will serve an extra three years in prison.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
