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18.05.2007 Crime & Punishment

Father, son in 'wee' business

18.05.2007 LISTEN
By The Ghanaian Times

A 52-year-old farmer and scrap dealer, Samuel Odoi (aka Bob), and his 14-year-old Junior Secondary School son have been remanded into prison custody and the Osu Remand Home respectively for two weeks by a District Magistrate's Court sitting at Kade.

Mr. Odoi and his son were jointly charged with possessing dry leaves suspected to be Indian hemp. The father faced an additional charge of possessing stolen electric cables.

The court presided over by Kwaku Baah Frimpong, did not take plea and remanded the suspects to reappear again on May 29.

Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector George D. Bruce said in view of the rampant stealing of cables of late at Kade, the police mounted an operation led by the District Commander of Police, Assistant Superintendent of Police Samuel Yeboah to search for scrap dealers.

Chief Inspector Bruce said as the police were heading for Odoi's house for a search, his son on seeing them ran into a room and came out with a jute bag and started running into the bush.

The prosecutor told the court that with the assistance of some people around the boy was arrested after a hot chase.

Chief Inspector Bruce said when the bag was opened, some dry leaves suspected to be Indian hemp concealed in a black polythene bag were found in it.

He said when the house was searched, a bundle of copper wire and an amount of ¢880,000 which the police believed were proceeds from the sale of the suspected Indian hemp were found.

Chief Inspector Bruce said the two suspects in their caution statements denied ownership of the leaves. The father however claimed that he bought the wire in Accra about four years ago.

According to the prosecutor the leaves would be sent to the Police Forensic Laboratory for tests and verification.

Source: The Ghanaian Times

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