SCIENTIST TESTIFIES IN COKE TRIAL

A PRINCIPAL Scientific Officer of the Ghana Standards Board (GSB), Mr James Koliju Atakri, today told the Accra Fast Track High Court hearing the case involving the missing cocaine on board the MV Benjamin that 25 slabs of the alleged substance had a Toyota crown logo embossed on them.
Testifying in the case, he said the powdery substance, which was contained in a parcel wrapped in a polythene material, was brought to the GSB for analysis by Police Corporal Edward Asante of the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) on July 26, 2006.
He said when the contents of the rectangular box was analysed, it proved positive for cocaine, with a 98 per cent purity.
According to Mr Atakri, the parcel was labelled the Republic Vs Philip Bruce Arhin and five others and bore the seal of NACOB, as well as the signatures of five of the accused persons.
The accused persons, namely, the vessel owner, Joseph Kojo Dawson, Pak Bok Sil, a Korean, Isaac Arhin and Philip Bruce Arhin, both Ghanaians, Cui Xian Li and Luo Yin Xing, both Chinese, are alleged to have played various roles leading to the importation of 77 parcels of cocaine, each weighing 30 kilogrammes, into the country.
They have been charged with various counts of using property for narcotic offences, engaging in prohibited business relating to narcotics and possession of narcotic drugs without lawful authority.
Each of them has pleaded not guilty to all the charges and have been remanded into prison custody.
Led in evidence by Mr William Kpobie, a Principal State Attorney, the witness tendered in court the analytical report which was dated November 8, 2006.
He said his work involved the analysis of seized narcotic items, body fluids and post-mortem tissues for chemical poison.
Asked by counsel for the Arhins as to whether it was the practice of the board to tender the exhibits of their report, witness replied in the negative.
In response to another question posed by another defence counsel, Mr Atakri said prior to receiving the exhibits for analysis, he had not heard about the cocaine issue in the media.
Before the case was adjourned, the prosecutor asked the court to remand the accused persons who had been in police custody to prison custody.
When the judge asked the rationale behind the move, the investigator explained that the cell at the Police Headquarters was congested, saying instead of taking 30 remand prisoners, it currently had 85 of them.
The investigator said the police had embarked on a decongesting exercise and it had become necessary to transfer all remand prisoners to prison custody where the conditions were better.
However, a defence counsel, Mr E. K. Ameley, drew the court’s attention to the fact that his client had said there were only 11 prisoners in the cell where he was being kept.
The court upheld the prosecution’s application but indicated that should it become necessary for the accused persons to be moved, the defence could apply for a variation order.
Hearing was adjourned to February 16, 2007.
The facts of the case are that Dawson, who has been charged with one count of use of property for narcotic offences, was alleged to have allowed Asem Darkeh, alias Sheriff, who is on the run, to use his vessel to import the 77 parcels of cocaine on February 6, 2006, while Sil, an engineer, was alleged to have, from December 15, 2005 to February 2006, repaired the vessel in readiness for sail from Takoradi to the high seas to convey 77 parcels of cocaine.
Isaac, a sailor, Philip, a mechanic, Li, a vessel engineer, and Xing, a sailor, were alleged to have, between February 27, 2006 and April 27, 2006, worked on the vessel as members of its crew and sailed from Takoradi to the high seas to convey the 77 parcels of cocaine to Tema.
The four were also alleged to have had in their possession, without lawful authority, one parcel of cocaine containing 30 slabs, with each slab weighing one kilogramme.
In a related development, the Accra Fast Track High Court hearing the case in which two Venezuelans are facing trial for allegedly importing 588 kilogrammes of cocaine into the country adjourned to February 15, 2007.
That was after the prosecution had informed the court that a witness who was supposed to testify could not be reached.
Joel Meija Duarte Moises, alias Joel Melia, a machine operator, is standing trial with Italo Gervasio Rosero Castillo, alias Cabeza Castina, a businessman, and a third accomplice, David Duarte Vasquez, who is on the run.
They have pleaded not guilty to four counts of conspiracy, illegal importation of narcotic drugs and possessing narcotic drugs without authority.
They were arrested in a house at East Legon, Accra, on November 24, 2005 while allegedly preparing the substance.