Limping Cocaine Sheriff Still Eludes Cops

The chase for the fugitive suspected drug baron, Sheriff Asem Darkei a.k.a. the limping man, who has a ¢50million prize tag on his head, has become complex for the police.

The paper gathered that the police have made two unsuccessful attempts to arrest him, after receiving information on his supposed hideout.

Though his suspected accomplices, Kwak Yeo Seoung a.k.a Killer, Choi and Lee are all wanted with the same prize tag, Police sources told The Chronicle that his arrest was more important to settle the mystery surrounding the 77 parcels of cocaine that got missing from the MV Benjamin Vessel in April.

Sheriff, according to the police source was the one who chartered the MV Benjamin to bring the 78 parcels of cocaine with an approximate weight of 2340KG into the country on April 25.

The sources said recently the police received a phone call from an informant that he had spotted Sheriff, adding that the informant was very emphatic that he had really located his hideout and that the police should be hasty.

The source said the police combed throughout the location, which was supposed to be Sheriff's whereabouts but could not trace him and as a result doubted whether they had received accurate information.

The paper gathered that on another occasion, another person called the office of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Public Relations Department, where it informed Inspector J. B. Darkwah that it had sighted the limping man in his East Legon residence.

It further learnt that the informant called several times to emphasize that it had indeed sighted the suspect and was coming for the 50million cedis bounty as soon as the police grabbed the most wanted man.

Insp. Darkwah quickly delivered the information to the officer in charge of CID operations, Chief Supt Amadu Salifu, who in turn briskly dispatched some of the energetic men among his troop, in full gear to go and arrest Sheriff.

The paper learnt that again when they got to his house and laid ambush to clamp down on him, there was no sign that Sheriff had come close to even the main entrance to the magnificent building.

As a result the police had to leave the house very disappointed and desperate.

Investigations have revealed that the CID headquarters have summoned the file on the case from the Accra regional headquarters in order to continue the investigations into the whereabouts of the limping man.

Further investigations have indicated that the headquarters have as well called for the Toyota vehicle of Sheriff, which had been impounded by the police and is sitting on the premises of the regional headquarters.

Sheriff is believed to be hiding in the West African sub-region, probably Cote D'Ivoire or somewhere in Ghana.

At the time of arrival into the country of the MV Benjamin vessel, Sheriff was alleged to have compromised some police officers sent to effect his arrest by flipping $100 notes amounting to $100,000 before them, giving him free passage to escape with the 77parcels of cocaine from the vessel.

When The Chronicle contacted the Director-General of CID, Mr. David Asante Apeatu, he confirmed that the case had been moved from the regional headquarters to his outfit.

Although the CID boss did not want to go into the reason for the removal of the case from the regional headquarters, he intimated that the CID has jurisdiction over every case.

"CID headquarters has jurisdiction over the whole country, depending on the nature of certain cases we always have jurisdiction," he added.

Asked whether it was because the case had become tough for the CID that is why the case had been moved to the headquarters he said, "I don't know, those who told you: Whether they are with the CID or the IGP's outfit, I don't know who told you this; the CID headquarters investigates all cases that is of national interest, depending on the way we can take over every case, be it murder, assault, depending on who is involved and the nature of the case, you understand."

He concluded that "every case that is taken over by the CID headquarters do originate from one station, or a district or a division or a region."