Chief Inspector, two others arrested for dealing in drugs

Chief Inspector Akpabli, Peter Kamasah, a driver, and Daniel Ekualiho, a driver’s mate, pleaded not guilty to the charges of conspiracy to commit crime and unlawful possession of narcotic drugs and are to reappear before the court on September 25, 2014.

Chief Inspector Akpabli, together with Kamasah and Ekualiho were said to have conspired to transport seven fertiliser sacks containing 283 compressed slabs of  cannabis sativa, otherwise known as Indian hemp, from  Kpeve to Dzodze.

Lawyers for the accused persons  pleaded with the court to admit their clients to bail since the facts presented by the prosecution did not support the charge.

The court, presided over by Mr Francis Obiri, declined the application for bail for the accused persons, and said narcotic offences were  non-bailable.

Facts of case

Prosecuting, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Cletus Abadamlora told the court that the complainants were policemen stationed at the SWAT Unit of the Ghana Police Service in Ho.

He said Chief Inspector Akpabli was a serving police officer at the Golokoati Police Station where he was the Station Officer, while Kamasah was a driver at Dzodze and Ekualiho, a driver’s mate.

At about 10.30a.m. on August 10, 2014,  the complainants had information that a Hyundai mini bus, driven by Kamasah, was travelling from Kpeve to Dzodze loaded with seven fertiliser sacks containing 283 compressed slabs of cannabis sativa.

The complainants went ahead to intercept the bus at Sokode-Ando and found the three accused persons on board.

The prosecutor told the court that Kamasah and Ekualiho, on the spot, told the complainants that they were contacted by someone whose name was given only as Edoe of Dzodze, who gave them GH¢ 400 and the phone number of Chief Inspector Akpabli to contact him at Kpeve for the drugs.

Kamasah and Ekualihi alleged that they met Chief Inspector Akpabli at Kpeve and handed over the money to him who then led them to Kpeve-Tornu and loaded the exhibits into the bus.

Kamasah and Ekualiho said per the agreement, Chief Inspector Akpabli was to escort the vehicle carrying the drugs to Dzodze, but halfway through the journey, they were arrested.

The complainants in the process retrieved the sum of GH¢1,100 from the chief inspector from which the driver and his mate identified the GH¢400 in GH¢20 denomination, which they had given to the chief inspector at Kpeve Junction.

According to the prosecutor, initial investigations indicated that on the day of the incident, there were numerous phone calls between the driver and police Chief Inspector Akpabli.