Alleged British drug baron faces court (PHOTO)

McDermott has been charged with undertaking a prohibited business related to narcotic drugs in Ghana and the United Kingdom (UK).

He pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Appearance

Clad in a blue and white T-shirt over black jeans, McDermott, who appeared in court without counsel, looked sad throughout the proceedings.

The court premises attracted a lot of attention as the accused tried to prevent journalists from taking pictures of him by covering his face.

Facts

Presenting the facts of the case, the prosecutor, Deputy Superintendent of Police Mr Abraham A. Annor, said the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) received information in 2014 from a reliable source that the accused, who had been living in Ghana for the past three years, was involved in drug-related business.

He said the BNI, therefore, mounted surveillance on him and subsequently arrested him at his hideout at the Tse Addo Residential Area, near the Ghana International Trade Fair Centre, on March 11, 2016.

Mr Annor stated that investigations by the BNI also revealed that the suspect was also wanted by the UK police for similar offences.

“Further investigations also indicated that the accused is operating a gold mining company in the Eastern Region and is also believed to be in possession of a Ghanaian passport bearing the name David Smith which he had used to travel in and out of Ghana for the past three years,” he added.

The case has been adjourned to March 30, 2016.

Background

McDermott is suspected of being a member of a Liverpool-based organised crime group involved in a conspiracy to import and supply cocaine which was seized from a container of frozen Argentinian beef at the Tilbury Docks in May 2013.

He is also wanted for conspiracy to blackmail.

Six other members of the criminal group have been jailed for a total of 64 years.

This is the second time in three months that a British fugitive has been arrested in Ghana. The first one was Arthur Simpson-Kent, who was alleged to have murdered his girlfriend and her two children in London.