3 arrested in connection with cocaine lady’s case

Abiel Ashitey Armah, the assistant director in charge of the VVIP Lounge at the Kotoka International Airport, was arrested last Thursday along with Theophilus Kissi of the Research Department attached to the VVIP Lounge and Abubakar Ahmed, whose place of work is yet to be established.

Ametefeh, alias Ruby Adu Gyamfi, alias Angel, was arrested at the Heathrow International Airport London on November 10, 2014 carrying 12.5 kilogrammes of cocaine.

Brief
A highly placed source at the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) told the Daily Graphic yesterday that initial investigations had revealed that Armah gave approval to Ametefeh and two other ladies to use the VVIP lounge on November 9, 2014.

It said Armah allegedly instructed Kissi and Ahmed to meet Ametefeh and the two other ladies, whose identities are yet to be established, and escort them through the VVIP Lounge.

According to the source, Kissi and Ahmed subsequently met and escorted Ametefeh and the two other ladies through the VVIP Lounge.

It said Kissi and Ahmed also carried Ametefeh’s two hand luggages to the aircraft and facilitated their entry.

As to who the other two ladies were, the source said there was no information on their identities yet.

Background
The arrest of Ametefeh has generated a lot of debate on the media landscape in Ghana and abroad.

Soon after the arrest, the Deputy Executive Secretary of NACOB, Mr Richard Nii Lante Blankson, issued a statement claiming that NACOB played a role in the arrest of the courier of the drugs.

In an apparent attempt to fend off suggestions that there was official complicity in the deal, the anti-drug agency issued a statement claiming, among other things, that Ametefeh “was arrested on the November 10, 2014 through the collaborative effort of the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) and its British partners”.

British High Commission
The British High Commission in Ghana issued a statement saying the authorities at Heathrow had acted alone.