British Airways Manager Remanded Over Alleged Cocaine Deals

It has been established that a British Airways Manager at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA), Eric Owusu Manu, is among cocaine suspects currently standing trial at an Accra Circuit Court.

The manager, together with the rest of the accused persons, who allegedly conspired to export nine kilogrammes (9kg) of cocaine and six parcels of cannabis sativa (marijuana) from Ghana to the United Kingdom (UK), without license from the Minister of Health, was yesterday denied bail.



The accused persons were first put before a Magistrate Court in Accra, but the state later filed 'nolle prosequi', leading to their discharge. They were, however, arrested immediately they stepped out of the court room, and put before the Circuit Court.

According to the Prosecutor, who is also a Principal State Attorney, K. Asiama-Sampong, granting the accused persons bail would be premature, and that the prosecution needs to complete its investigation on the evidence.

He said the prosecution had not yet received the report of the examination from the Ghana Standards Board, which is why it had not yet been presented before the court.

The court, presided over by Mr. Eric Kyei Baffour, indicated that the prosecution was usually allowed to do the necessary analysis before the report is brought before court, however, since the report is not due, he would still remand the accused persons in custody. They are expected to re-appear before the court on August 31, 2011.



The accused persons include Kevin Sarpong-Boateng, a travel and tours operator, Eric Owusu Manu, Manager of British Airways, Daniel Clottey, aircraft technician, Frank Bruno Kpakpo, a profiler at the KIA, Daniel Gyabaah, a businessman and car dealer.

The rest of the accused persons are Stephen Awua, Kofi Bamfo and Emmanuel Owusu, who were arrested at the Heathrow Airport in London, whilst Hubert Laryea and Mohamoud Mufuti are currently at large.

All the accused persons are facing the charge of conspiracy to commit crime, while the first, second and third accused persons are facing additional charges of exportation of drug, and two counts of abetment of exportation of cocaine. They pleaded not guilty to all the charges leveled against them.

The facts of the case indicate that between November 2010 and June 2011, the accused persons operated jointly and severally to send narcotic drugs, cocaine and 'cannabis sativa,' from Ghana to the UK on British Airways, using a shared responsibility method known as 'pushing.'



According to the Prosecutor, each of the accused persons played a specified role in the transaction from the Kotoka International Airport and on the plane to the Heathrow Airport.

"Initial investigations revealed that in October 2010, the first accused person was contracted by one Mohamoud Mufuti, currently at large, to export eight kilogrammes of cocaine from Ghana to the UK.

"Further investigations revealed that the first accused person recruited the third, fourth and fifth accused persons, who operated as 'pushers' at the airport, to aid and facilitate the exportation of the drugs by the first accused person," he added.

He said the investigation further revealed that in March, the second and fifth accused persons travelled to London and met with the 8th accused person, Nana Yaw, alias Baffour Gyaw, who is now in prison custody in London.

The Principal State Attorney mentioned that their activities were monitored by both the Ghana security agents and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) of the UK.


He indicated that through the work of the officers of SOCA, the sixth, seventh and eight accused persons were arrested in London, and have been remanded in custody, pending the extradition of the first and fifth suspects to the UK.

"The arrest of the sixth, seventh and eight accused persons in London led to the arrest of the first, second, third, fourth and fifth accused persons in Ghana.

Thorough searches were conducted in their places of abode, and a number of documents and electronic equipment were retrieved from the accused persons which are pertinent to the case currently under investigations," the Prosecutor added.

He said a team of officers from SOCA had arrived in the country to assist their Ghanaian counterparts, the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and the police, in the investigation of the case.

 

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