Captain Pulled Gun - Sailor

ISAAC ARHIN, a sailor of MV Benjamin standing trial with its owner and crew members for their role in the importation of the 77 cocaine parcels, yesterday told an Accra Fast-Track High Court that the captain of the vessel pulled a gun on him when he got angry with him on the high seas.

The sailor said when he asked about the movement of the vessel and where it was heading, the captain entered his cabin, and surprisingly returned with a weapon which he directed at him.

However, the vessel engineer, Pak Box Sil, pleaded on his behalf and told him to obey the captain.

Mr. Arhin told the court that the incident happened when they were trying out MV Benjamin after it had been repaired at the Takoradi Harbour.

The accused person said this in his evidence-in chief led by his counsel, Mr. Osei Owusu, at the court presided over by Justice Anin Yeboah.

Narrating how he became involved with the ship, he said he had worked in the vessel for sometime but was subsequently asked by the vessel representative, Mr. Bae to join the crew in Takoradi after which Bae said he was traveling with a Korean friend to visit his ailing mother.

Arhin explained that a chap named Killer came to supervise the repair of the vessel while Bae was away.

Explaining further, he stated that after the repair of the boat, the crew members together with the captain and Mr. Pak, said they were going to try the vessel at the anchorage but later used a tugboat to tow the vessel beyond the anchorage, and headed westwards at 32 degrees.

According to him, when he realized they were going further and further, he asked the captain where they were heading to but this infuriated him and led to the confrontation.

Arhin said when they got to Monrovia waters in Liberia they saw six boats before being ordered by the captain into the cabin with the exception of Mr. Pak.

The sailor said he and the other crew members saw some people loading something like fish onto the ship while one of the vessels carried out surveillance around it before it sailed eastwards to Tema.

Arhin said when they got to Tema, some people offloaded the fish and the captain and Pak left the vessel.

He continued that not long afterwards, some naval officers came near the vessel and asked that they let down a ladder to enable them climb into the boat, which they did.

Arhin said it was then that Mr. Ben Ndego of the Narcotics Control Board introduced himself, showed them a large picture of the ship and asked what goods they had on board.

He said they replied that they had fish and that it had already been offloaded.

Arhin said when Mr. Ndego and his team searched the vessel and found nothing, they asked Philip Bruce Arhin, his brother standing trial with him, to bring a hammer to be used in opening the hatch of the vessel.

The accused person said Ndego broke the hatch open and found one wrapped parcel , opened it in the presence of his team and had it tested for cocaine which proved positive, adding that they were later asked to write their statements, which they did.

The accused person said he had never seen cocaine before in his entire life, and denied assertions by Naval Commander Yakubu, a witness, that he denied the vessel was called MV Benjamin.

Other accused persons standing trial with him are Joseph Kojo Dawson, the vessel owner; and two Chinese nationals, Cui Xian Li and Liu Yin Zing.

The case has been adjourned to February 6, 2008.By Fidelia Achama