Man Jailed For Dealing In Coke

THE ACCRA REGIONAL Tribunal has sentenced Ellis Essilfie to ten year's imprisonment for attempting to export 44 pellets of cocaine to Spain.

The accused person, who was charged with the offence of attempted exportation and possession of narcotic drug without lawful authority, changed his plea from not guilty to guilty and was sentenced accordingly.

According to the prosecutor, the accused person on March 29, 2006 at about 6pm, arrived at the Kotoka International Airport to board a British Airways flight to Madrid in Spain.

Mr. Sampong stated that while the accused was going through pre-boarding formalities, Narcotic Control Board officials then on duty at the airport, suspected him of carrying narcotic substance in his stomach due to his strange demeanor.

He was subsequently arrested and when he was being escorted to the 37 Military Hospital, he took to his heels but was chased and recaptured.

He was taken to the hospital where he was subjected to an X-ray examination which revealed that he had foreign materials in his stomach.

The prosecutor stated that under supervision of the officers and the police, the accused expelled 44 thumb size pellets of cocaine.

Mr. Sampong indicated that Essilfie admitted the offence in his cautioned statement, and said that he bought the substance with his money at the cost of US$4,000 dollars from a certain Fosu at Mataheko, a suburb of Accra to share with Stephen Amoako who introduced Fosu to him. He failed to assist the police to trace Fosu.

The substance, when forwarded to the Ghana Standards Board for analytical examination, proved positive for cocaine with total weight of 510 grammes.

By Mary Anane