COCAINE TREASURE HUNT LANDS COPS IN TROUBLE

NINE police officers and six suspected drug barons who were busted in the Western Region for allegedly going to retrieve some parcels of cocaine that had been washed ashore near Axim and Half Assini have been remanded by an Accra circuit court.
Their pleas were not taken and they were remanded into police custody to re-appear on June 14, 2007, to face two counts of conspiracy and engaging in prohibited business relating to narcotics.
The policemen are G/Constable Cudjoe Mensah, L/Cpl Gideon Sakabito and G/Constable Dennis Agyeman, all of the La Police Station in Accra where Constable Agyeman is the Armourer, G/Cpl. George Obuobi of the Darkuman Police Station and G/L/Cpl. Ebenezer Quao Afatsao of the Armoured Car Squadron but currently attached to the VVIPU at the Castle, Osu.
The others are L/Cpl. Ben Somuah of the Armoured Car Squadron but currently on interdiction, L/Cpl Daniel Kagya of the Accra Central Police station, Evans Asare Yeboah of the Armoured Car Squadron in Accra and G/Constable John Mensah-Gray of the Service Workshop attached to the Regional Headquarters, Accra.
The suspected drug dealers are Eric Asamoah, 35, Kwadwo Annim alias Olympio, 35, Alex Addo, 36, Kwasi Kumeke, 27, Kwame Attah Yeboah, 33, and James Ofori, all businessmen in Accra.
Narrating the facts of the case to the court, the prosecutor, DSP Kofi Abraham, said in recent times the security forces had been monitoring information that a vessel from an unidentified origin had discharged some parcels of substances suspected to be cocaine into the Atlantic Ocean and were expected to wash ashore at the Gulf of Guinea near Axim and Half Assini in the Western Region.
He said in their desire to make money from the floating fortune, the accused persons decided among themselves in Accra to go to the area to hunt for the treasure.
Consequently, DSP Abraham said on May 31, 2007, the accused persons set off from Accra at dawn in various cars to the area ostensibly to retrieve the parcels of cocaine.
He said the Western Regional Security Council got wind of the activities of the accused persons and put security personnel at the various checkpoints on high alert.
The security personnel at the Apremdo Police Checkpoint near Takoradi spotted a BMW 4X4 with a DVLA number plate, a VW Golf with registration number GE 9487 X, a Nissan Sentra with registration number GW 6309 X and Geo Prism saloon car with registration number GE 4501 W and intercepted them while in a convoy.
DSP Abraham said after their arrest, the accused persons were later sent to the Police Headquarters in Accra for further investigations but it had been established that all the policemen left their duty posts in Accra without permission from their various commanders.
According to him, G/CPL Obuobi and L/CPL Afatsao at the time of the operation were in uniform and held a pistol and AK 47 assault riffle with three rounds of ammunition, respectively.
He said L/CPL Somuah was also armed with a pistol with five rounds of ammunition while L/CPL Kagya was armed with an AK 47 assault riffle with 10 rounds of ammunition.
The rest of the policemen, he said, were in mufti and stated that all the policemen refused to give statements to the police unless their lawyers were present.