Liberian Woman Jailed For Selling Wee In Camp

A 21-year-old Liberian woman, Esther Kii, has been jailed for five years with hard labour for selling marijuana at the Buduburam Refugee Camp.

Mr Charles A. Wilson, the presiding judge of the Agona Swedru Circuit Court, convicted Esther on her own plea of guilty to the charge of possessing narcotic drugs.

In the same dock with Esther were her Ghanaian male accomplices, Jonathan Acquah, Mohammed Seidu and John Akumaning, who with the exception of Seidu, were remanded in prison custody pending trial later.
 

Seidu for his part pleaded not guilty to the charge but was cautioned and discharged for lack of evidence. Acquah and Akumaning pleaded not guilty and guilty with explanation, respectively.

Chief Inspector Helena Aidoo told the court that on December 19, 2007, a team of policemen from Kasoa led by Superintendent Isaac Buabin, the District Commander, swooped on the hideouts of criminals and drug peddlers in and outside Kasoa at dawn.

At the Buduburam Refugee Camp, Esther Kii was arrested with two bags containing the dried leaves together with packets of cigarettes, pipes of paper cut into small sizes and different sizes.

Jonathan Acquah, on the other hand, was arrested with 52 wrappers at the Kasoa Odupong Kpehe school area, while Akumaning was caught with a wrapper in the same area and also Seidu was arrested at the Kasoa New Market with a wrapper in his pocket.

Even though the stuff was found on their bodies and at their hideouts they all denied the charges in their caution statements.

From Ekow Yamoah